


At His Majesty’s Service

by CartoonNerd12



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Drama & Romance, Duelling, Hinata is too innocent for his own good, M/M, Mpreg but that comes later, Pining Kageyama Tobio, Sexual Tension, The King and I Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:21:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23899657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CartoonNerd12/pseuds/CartoonNerd12
Summary: Kageyama slightly chuckled, “You have guts, I’ll give you that. But can you back up your claim to duel me?”“Yes! I have been training for a long time!”“Alright. I accept your challenge.” he summoned for two swords and threw the other sword to the other teen.If Kageyama hadn’t shown interest in the boy before, he most certainly did now by seeing that jump when he grabbed for the sword.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 19
Kudos: 154





	1. Chapter 1

King Kageyama Tobio was young for his age but there was no denying how extremely talented and commanding he was as a leader. Many ladies of the court would bask in his presence, hoping that one of them would be chosen to be his queen someday. But the king was more or less indifferent to them. In fact if he had it his way, he would never marry to share his throne with anyone.

“You know that’s not possible.” his advisor, Takeda Ittetsu told him.

“I don’t want anyone lesser than me to sit next to me.” he rebutted.

“Then you must find someone that you would consider your equal.”

“Even if they weren’t a woman?”

“Well… that gets trickier, some men could carry an heir for you thanks to our advance potions by Mage Ukai but they would have to be healthy and able to endure the pregnancy to carry out the task.”

“I see. Well no matter, no one could possibly be my equal anyway so it would be pointless.”

“But then you’ll lose the throne and kingdom to one of your cousins. King Oikawa Tooru and King Ushijima Wakatoshi wouldn’t hesitate for a second to seize that chance.”

His face darken as he stated, “I will _never_ give them that chance.”

“Then you will try to find someone?”

“Don’t have a choice. But if I do not find anyone worthy then I will take a concubine to produce an heir. Will that suffice?”

“As long as an heir is sired by you then it will suffice.”

“Good. And the deadline is my 18th birthday, right?”

“Yes, you’re fifteen now so you have three years to find the appropriate mate.”

Kageyama scoffed to himself, there’s no way he’ll find his equal for the throne and for himself. It was just not possible.

* * *

And the impossible became possible when that runt of a fifteen-year-old jumped high to grab the fencing sword that was thrown to him after challenging him into duel.

The day was like any other day, signing papers and all that boring stuff. Until Sir Sawamura of his royal guard came in on a royal court session that was with Lord Sugawara and Lord Tanaka.

“Please pardon my interruption, my king, but the Baron wishes to see you.”

Tobio sighed in boredom, “That old boar? What does he want?”

“He says he has a gift for Your Majesty.”

He sighed again, “Very well, send him in.”

The captain bowed and went, coming back with a stout man by the doors.

Sugawara noticed the discomfort on Daichi’s face as the Baron spoke.

“Your Majesty. I bring you an offering from the mountains of your kingdom. He will serve you well.”

That made eyebrows rise up as Tobio questioned, “He?”

“Indeed!” moving forward with a rope in hands and a short ginger boy with brown eyes was on the other end, being pulled forward and forced to kneel before the king.

This made Suga and Takeda’s stomachs turn while Tanaka was appalled at the sight.

Kageyama scowled more than usual, demanding, “Is this a joke?!”

“No, my king! Of course not! This boy’s family is under my jurisdiction and they were under paying their taxes so this boy offered himself-“

The boy suddenly shouted, “Lair!” surprising everyone especially the king, “You lair! You wanted my sister who is much younger than me!”

Sugawara gasped while Tobio angrily asked, “Is that true, Baron?”

The noble sweated, “Well, um… I merely made it as a suggestion…”

The king tsked, “Disgusting…” then ordered, “Captain, take this man out of my sight, gift or not I don’t appreciate his idea of selling my subjects for his delight just to get wealth. Baron, you hereby exiled from Karasuno.”

“Let’s go.” Daichi grabbed for the man while he sputtered indignantly from his king’s words.

Once they were gone, the king turned back to the boy, free from his bonds as he bowed on all fours, “Your Majesty… thank you…”

“The Baron may not be a problem anymore, but you still have to repay your debt, so like it or not you must stay and serve in my palace.”

“Then…” he slowly lifted his head giving off a fierce look that made the court hitch their breath at the sight. The king however did not and instead revel at the boy’s confident gaze. “I would like to challenge you to a duel to win my freedom!”

There was a collective gasp around the court and immediately whispers floated about saying this boy was crazy or how the king will kill him in an instant for speaking out like that.

Tobio however didn’t listen to them, instead he focus solely on the boy, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Takeda as he hummed in thought.

The king silenced the whispers by asking, “How old are you?”

“Fifteen, soon to be sixteen this summer.”

“Really? But you’re… so tiny…”

“I may be short but that doesn’t stop me from living my life! And neither will this!”

Kageyama slightly chuckled, “You have guts, I’ll give you that. But can you back up your claim to duel me?”

“Yes! I have been training for a long time!”

“Alright. I accept your challenge.” he summoned for two swords and threw the other sword to the other teen.

If Kageyama hadn’t shown interest in the boy before, he most certainly did now by seeing that jump when he grabbed for the sword.

Tanaka in particular was floored from seeing that.

Tobio commented, “Impressive.” seeing the smug look on the ginger’s face.

They took to the middle of the throne room, swords hand-in-hand.

As a master swordsman, Sugawara refereed their match.

“Ready… set…”

The sword tips touched.

“Parry!” giving the signal.

The swords clashed, and Suga could already tell the difference between the two. The ginger was fast in his movements but lacked steady footwork while his king was experienced in proper pacing and steady movements. The boy was too reckless while the king calculated his next move.

The ginger had the talent but lacked skill. The king was polished and mastered the art of fencing putting the boy in a bit of a bind.

_He said he trained for a long time but it seems he self-taught himself instead of having a proper teacher to help him, it’s quite a shame._

Tobio seemed to pick up on that as he inquired, “Hey… didn’t you have a master?”

He replied, “Couldn’t afford one or go to one.” keeping up the fight.

“How long have you been training?”

“Three years!”

Their swords kept clashing.

“And you had the gall to challenge me when you were clearly not ready to face a master?!”

“Well how else am I supposed to leave here without serving you!” clashing hard.

His frown deepened, “I helped you from the Baron, why wouldn’t you want to serve me?”

“Because! I would like to have some say in my fate! I went with the Baron to help my sister and mother! With my father away sailing the seas I need to provide for them!”

Takeda and Suga exchanged sad looks, thinking, _What a sweet boy…_

He continued, “But what would a king like you know about that anyway? You don’t know the hardships we commoners face. So being here in the palace would just make me feel like a traitor.”

Suga gawked at that statement.

Takeda softly said, “My goodness, he certainly likes to speak his mind doesn’t he?”

“Yes… but that’s going to bite him back now…” Sugawara bit his fingertips.

Sure enough Kageyama now had a dark smile on his face, the ginger saw this making a small gulp.

_Uh-oh… maybe I shouldn’t have said that…_

“So… you won’t live in the palace regardless?”

He stuttered, “That-that’s right! I won’t! That’s why I’m going to win!” putting more force on his sword.

He calmly countered the attack, “But you’re going to have to when I win.”

“You won’t! I’ll make sure of it!” letting his anger get the best of him.

Sugawara saw the king’s face sending a chill down his spine, “Takeda…”

“I know… I never seen him like this… he’s like a predator hunting his prey now… Never had I seen his majesty want something so bad… I’m honestly not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing…”

“The boy is losing momentum… He’s not going to last long now…”

“Yes, as unfortunate as it is, he’s going to lose…”

Kageyama was impressed by the ginger’s stamina lasting as long as it had but now he could see his steam was finally running out, giving him the upper hand to finally disarm him.

The sword flew out of the shocked boy’s hand, watching with despair as his freedom flew out the window in a mere second.

The king held his sword tip close to the boy’s chin, stating, “I win.”

The ginger pursed his lips but he admitted his defeat by lowering his head only for it get raised by the tip.

“Now what should we do with you? Should you be a kitchen boy? Part of the cleaning staff? A butler? Gardener, maybe?”

The boy gnashed his teeth, “You’re just toying with me!”

Kageyama smirked, “Well my first choice was to make you my concubine.”

“SAY WHAT?!” he gawked from the suggestion.

Others in the court were taken aback by that as well.

“But given how well you fought, I know that would be stupid now, so instead we need to put you somewhere else.” he turned to Suga, “Lord Sugawara, didn’t you say you could use an aid at your school?”

Sugawara slowly replied, “Uh… yes, I do, and I could see he is gifted with the way of the sword so having him at my academy would be beneficial.”

“Good, then I hand him over to you.” he turned back, “What is your name?”

“Hinata Shoyou.” as an afterthought, he added, “Your Majesty…”

“You were name for the sunlight?”

“That’s what my mother told me.”

“I see… Sugawara?”

“Yes, sire, I will proceed at once.” the finely dressed gray haired teen made his way to Hinata, “Please follow me, young one.”

The boy looked at the king one last time before going with the other teen.

Takeda voiced, “I must say your highness you certainly surprised us all by your decision.”

“No kidding!” Lord Tanaka proclaimed, “I mean were you really going to make him your concubine, or were you just saying that to get him to behave?”

“Yes and no.” he replied, “I would’ve like to take him as a concubine because there’s something about him that interests me.”

Takeda hummed, “But you do not think of him as an equal?”

“If he had bested me in the duel then I would have but it’s as I have told you, Takeda, no one can be my equal.”

 _And yet… you sent that boy to a fencing academy where he can grow and learn more about his abilities… I can’t believe this is happening but it seems our king is smitten by that young lad that he hopes that he’ll get better so he_ can _best him in a duel! What a clever move! Honestly it scares me how much of a master strategist he can be in situations like this…_

Meanwhile, Sugawara came to that same conclusion as he took Hinata to the academy building next to the main hall.

_He was willing to bed him out of all the women in the kingdom, he saw something in Hinata that he wanted for himself but since he lost the duel, he knows the boy needs to move forward in his skills and then only then will the king acknowledge him as his other half._

“…why didn’t he…?”

“Hmm?” Suga looked to the ginger lost in thought.

He looked up with his big brown puppy eyes making the older gush inwardly.

“Why didn’t he just put me in prison or make me a concubine, whether that is.”

Suga halted in their steps, gawking, “Huh?! You don’t know what a concubine is?!”

“No, that’s why I was shock the king said that. I didn’t understand what he meant.”

“Well… um… for males the correct term is concubinus but concubine is more familiar and easier to use. But to answer your question… um… I assumed you had the ‘talk’ with your parents, yes?”

“You mean that gross thing a man and woman do after they get married? What about it?”

“Uh…” Suga sweated, _Oh man, do I really want to tell him? He’s so young and innocent… I figured he was a virgin but this… oh my gods! He’s the purist of pure! If his majesty knew about this, I have no doubt he would force the boy to wear a chastity belt to prevent him from being touched by others._

“Lord Sugawara?” he questioned in concern.

He was about to reply but thankfully was saved when one of his students walked to them, “Ah! Yamaguchi!” he waved, “Perfect timing! I want you to meet Hinata Shoyou, he’ll be my aid at the school now by his majesty’s orders. Please show him around while I gather everybody to tell the news, okay?”

Yamaguchi was shy in general so he was unsure about being a guide but he obeyed, “O-of course, Master, as you wish.”

Hinata smiled at the boy as they got better acquainted while Suga went ahead.


	2. Chapter 2

“OH MY GODS! Are you serious?!” Nishinoya gawked in disbelief, “This guy doesn’t know what a concubine does?!”

Sugawara firmly stated, “Yes, and I am forbidding all of you to say anything. That boy is too good and I don’t want to taint that.”

Tsukishima scoffed, “I just can’t believe the king wanted him as a concubine to begin with.”

Ennoshita nodded, “I agree, I didn’t think it was possible.”

Kinoshita and Narita whispered to each other.

Suga said, “Yes, it was a surprise to all of us, even during their duel the king looked like he was having so much fun. I never saw that side of him before. It was amazing.”

Tsukishima questioned, “And Tadashi is giving him the grand tour now?”

“Right, so they should be here soon and I want you all to make him feel welcome, got it?”

“Yes sir!” they shouted back.

Within moments said duo arrived in the academy’s gym where Hinata awed at it in wonder.

Introductions shortly followed after and Hinata was thrilled to meet someone close to his size as it was likewise for Noya.

Sugawara then stated, “Excellent, now that’s settle, let’s begin with today’s training exercises. Hinata, I want you watch from the sidelines for now and watch very carefully of how we move, can you do that?”

“Yes!” he saluted, “I am at your service, great master.”

There were chuckles and snickers.

Suga sighed, “No need to take it that far, just call me Suga.”

“Alright, Suga-sempai it is!”

“That’s not- oh, never mind, whatever makes you comfortable.” he smiled at the boy. He most definitely will take him under his wing and make him an even greater swordsman than the king, this he promised to himself.

* * *

It was nearly sundown when Kindaichi Yutaro returned to the kingdom of Aoba Johsai to report his recent findings to his king, Oikawa Tooru.

His king consort, Iwaizumi Hajime was beside his side as always, giving off an indifferent expression.

Their marriage was arranged since childhood but it didn’t matter to them. They willingly obeyed their parents and went through with the ceremony without fuss. In fact, their marriage was considered perfect from an outsider’s perceptive if it wasn’t for Oikawa constant flirting to women making Hajime upset and has to drag him away by the ear like a typical nagging spouse would.

Oikawa smirked with a hand to his cheek as he asked his spy, “What news do you bring from Castle Karasuro this time, Kindaichi?”

“Oh you’ll like this, my king. Kageyama had to banish one of his barons for misconduct.”

“Oh? What kind of misconduct?”

“For pawning off a teenage boy as a gift to Kageyama.”

“Oh my! Do tell!”

“Now here’s where it gets interesting, he was going force the boy to work in the palace but then the boy challenged him!”

“What?!” the king gapped in shock, even Iwaizumi was stunned by this.

“That’s right, and he did lose but the boy was almost on par with him. And here’s the really juicy part, he told the boy his first choice was to make him a concubine.”

Oikawa sat up in astonishment, “No way! Grumpy Tobio-chan would have took him as a bedmate?! Oh my gods! That’s too incredible!”

“Well he ended up being an aid for Lord Sugawara instead.”

Oikawa’s face darken, “Now that’s even more interesting… instead of humiliating the loser he wants him to get stronger…”

“Yeah, that’s the thing that baffles their entire court.”

Oikawa darkly chuckled, “I get it… that boy was the only one to dare stand up to him… The only one he could consider a man of equal standing to be by his side… At this rate, Tobio-chan _will_ actually get _married…_ ” he venomously hissed, _“_ And an heir will come from their union, keeping Karasuro strong and difficult to defeat.”

Iwaizumi voiced, “Even I am impressed by this new development. I thought for sure his arrogance would never allow him to find someone.”

Oikawa questioned, “And what of the boy? What are his feelings in all this?”

Kindaichi smugly replied, “You won’t believe this, but when I overheard him talking to Sugawara, he didn’t know what a concubine was!”

There were some blank stares before suddenly the king bursted out laughing, holding his sides.

“OH MY GODS! NO WAY! JUST NO WAY!”

Iwaizumi just rolled his eyes, “Not everyone is dirty-minded like you, Shittykawa.”

Once his laughter deceased, his face darkened once more.

“In all seriousness though, Tobio-chan has stumbled upon quite the treasure… But should such a treasure be tainted, he wouldn’t want him anymore… Wouldn’t you think so, dearest?”

“It’s possible, but it depends on how strong his feelings would be…”

“Hmm, Kindaichi…”

“Yes, sire?”

“I want more information on this boy as soon as possible, understand?”

“Yes, Your Majesty! As you wish!” he bowed.

“Excellent, get yourself some food and drink before you go, you’ve earned it.”

He thanked his king before going.

* * *

Tsukishima made an offhanded comment as they were about to go to dinner.

“You know no one blames you for hating on the king of what he did to you.”

Hinata blinked in bewilderment, “Hate him? I don’t hate him, why would I?”

The others looked at him quizzingly while Yamaguchi asked, “But aren’t you upset you lost the duel?”

“Of course I am! Anybody would be! But I don’t hate the king for that! He’s amazing! His way with a sword is so awesome that I can’t wait to have a rematch with him!” his eyes gleamed from the declaration.

Suga was stunned but happy by this.

The ginger continued, “You know it surprised me the rumors about him are true, he is handsome and such a good leader that it just excites me even more to have a rematch!” having a dreamy look on his face.

The students glanced at each other with strange looks while Suga smirked knowingly, _Seems like the crush isn’t one-sided in this… that’s such a relief…_

Hinata asked, “Does he smile often? He seems so serious and scary, but seeing him smile before I went, he seemed happy.”

The question made everyone stop walking in shock.

He noticed and inquired, “Did I say something wrong?”

Nishinoya shook his head, “It isn’t that, it’s just… no one has ever seen the king smile…”

Hinata gawked, “B-but he was smiling a lot during the duel! Granted some of his smiles were scary but he… he really did have a nice smile in the end.”

Tsukishima tsked in irritation, muttering to himself that only Tadashi could hear, “Typical. Everyone else tries their hardest to please the king but it takes one shorty acting stupid to break through.”

Ennoshita questioned, “What made you get into dueling in the first place, Hinata?”

The boy lit up, “Oh that’s easy!” and went on a tangent making Ennoshita sorry he ever asked, “It’s because of the great fencing hero the Tiny Giant! You know the legend of his shadow being twice as big as him whenever he had to battle evildoers?! Hence how he got the name. Well, he stopped some mountain bandits when I was little, I can remember how cool he looked in his cape and mask! I want to be just like him!”

Suga asked, “So then how did you learn to fence on your own?”

“Through books and word of mouth from villagers that swordfight.”

Sugawara and the others gapped at that answer.

Noya exclaimed, “Well no wonder you lost the duel!”

The master stated, “Yes, but if you saw it for yourself you would have been impressed by how he honed all of his knowledge into the fight. If it wasn’t for his lack of experience he could have put the king into a draw.”

“WHOA WHAT?!” the students but Tsukki shouted.

Suga nodded, “So let that be a lesson to you my apprentices, knowledge could very well save your life.”

Tsukki clicked his tongue, “Tch, I already knew that.”

At this point they were already close to the great hall and Takeda rushed to them, “Ah! There you all are!” he faced the ginger, “Hinata-san, I have a request from his majesty that you sit next to him at dinner.”

“HUH?!” the group gasped but Tsukishima looked annoyed.

Noya loudly voiced, “Whoa, Shoyou! You really have the king’s attention!”

“But-but why? I’m just a commoner! It’s not right for me to sit next to him!”

Takeda shook his head, “It’s his majesty wish, and therefore you’re permitted to do so.”

Hinata looked to Suga who nodded.

“You’ll be fine, promise.”

Then thought, _At least… I hope so… But what can he do? He can’t refuse._

Hinata slowly said, “Well… okay… as long as it’s alright.”

Takeda led them into the large hall where members of the court and heads of staff were sitting down getting ready to be served.

Sugawara and the others had to sit at a long table while Hinata was taken to where the king was at the head of the room and Takeda gestured him to sit.

Hinata made a timid bow before sitting cross-legged on a fluffy pillow like the king was.

However Kageyama didn’t look at him throughout the entire meal making Shoyou raise his brows in confusion and couldn’t concentrate on eating, wondering why the king would ask to sit next to him if he was just going to ignore him this whole time!

Sugawara could see the situation and whispered to Takeda, “Is he testing the waters on whether or not he would like Hinata to sit next to him?”

The advisor replied, “I’m not sure, I was honestly baffled when he made the request in the first place. I don’t know what he’s thinking here.”

Finally as dessert was served, Kageyama-while still not looking-asked the short teen, “Which dessert would you prefer?”

Hinata almost spit out his drink in shock from hearing his question.

“What?”

“I said which dessert would you prefer?”

“Oh, um… will um, I like meat buns, my mother would make them for me and my sister all the time. Though sometimes it would be the only food she could make with the little money we had…” he tittered nervously.

“I see.” he asked the kitchen maid to bring meat buns to them, then he asked the ginger, “Do you have a favorite food you would like to eat here?”

Hinata was slightly taken aback in surprise but replied, “Well… on my birthday my mother would make Tamago Kake Gohan for the occasion and I really love it.”

Kageyama nodded as the meat buns were served and took one to eat.

Hinata did the same and it was quiet again between them.

Tobio then asked, “Have you settled in okay? Everyone at the academy treating you well?”

“It’s great! I love being there!”

Tobio slightly smirked, “Good, I knew it was a good placement for you.” taking another bite and chewing.

“Your Majesty… when you mentioned me being a concubine… I don’t really understand what that means…”

Hearing that, Tobio choked on the bun in shock causing Shoyou to worry.

“Your Majesty!” quickly patting his back until the choking stopped and he coughed.

“You…” he ahem to clear his throat, “You didn’t… you really don’t know?” his eyes widen.

Shoyou shook his head, “That was Lord Sugawara’s reaction too, and he didn’t get to tell me what exactly a concubine does.”

Tobio was astonished, a boy that’s the same age as him, that’s good with a sword and likes to speak his mind without fear getting in the way, was also this innocent and pure!

The king felt he hit the jackpot here!

 _No one is going to touch this angel! I will make sure of that!_ he resolved in his mind.

“…Your Majesty… Your Majesty!”

“Hm?”

“You were lost in a daze there, but you still haven’t answer my question-“

He abruptly said, “That doesn’t matter anymore. You don’t need to concern yourself with it.”

“But-“

“Just forget any of that.” he narrowed his eyes, telling the boy that was the end of the discussion.

Hinata pouted but he didn’t press it further.

 _Why won’t anyone tell me?!_ He lamented in his head, _It can’t be that bad, can it?_

When dessert was finished, everyone started excusing themselves to leave.

Hinata was given leave by the king but Takeda and Sugawara were asked to stay behind.

Tobio started, “Sugawara, you discovered Hinata’s innocence first, correct?”

“I did, and after that I was hesitate to tell him about the purposes of a concubine.”

“Good. I want it to stay that way. And to do that…” he turned to the advisor, “I want a chastity belt place on him.”

Suga slack-jawed, _I didn’t think he would- no wait…_ he inwardly sighed, _Yes, yes he would… my hunch was right._

Takeda sputtered, “Now- now wait-a-moment, your majesty. It’s one thing to force him to stay in the palace, but it’s another to force him to wear something against his will. A chastity belt is a bit much.”

“I don’t care, he needs to remain pure for me.” saying it so casually.

Takeda face-palmed, “Your Majesty… He won’t be touched so long as you say so. Isn’t that enough?”

Kageyama darkly scowled, “ _No, it isn’t_.”

Sugawara sighed, “Your Majesty, may I offer a compromise?”

“Go on.”

“You know I have no ill intentions toward the boy. In fact, after today I’ve considered him to be like a son already… But the point I make is, is that you can entrust me with the key to his belt so he’ll still have some freedom with his body, while all the while appeasing your majesty’s wishes. Does that sound fair?”

Tobio deeply pondered on it while Takeda and Suga held their breaths, hoping he would give in.

Finally, he spoke, “Very well. But I’m counting on you, Sugawara.”

Suga exhaled in relief before firmly replying, “You have my word, Your Majesty.”


	3. Chapter 3

“But Sugaaaa, I don’t _wanna_ wear it!!” Hinata whined and clutched to the bed post when presented with the belt.

“I’m sorry, Hinata, but it’s his majesty’s order.”

“I swear! He’s out to get me! It’s payback for challenging him!”

Suga chuckled, “It’s not that.” _Far from it…_

“But it’s not fair! It’s going to affect my training!”

“No it wouldn’t, I’ll make sure of it. I have the key so you can have it off during training.” he gently smiled.

Hinata’s eyes widen, “Really?”

“Really.”

The boy sighed, “Okay then… I’ll put it on, but I still don’t like it!”

“I know… and I’m sorry.” making an apologetic smile as he gave it to him and he went behind a changing fold.

Hinata then complained, “It’s cold and heavy! How am I supposed to wear this?!”

Suga sighed sadly, “I _really_ am sorry about this…”

* * *

Daichi drink his ale in the palace kitchen as Sugawara updated him on the situation making the captain comment, “I can’t blame him, I mean who would want to wear that thing willingly anyway?”

“I can understand the king’s reasoning but it does feel a bit much. Thank goodness he allowed me to hold the key.”

Daichi whistled, “He’s got it bad, doesn’t he?”

“He does! It’s so surprising seeing him act this way! Such behavior is unheard of from him in the first place!”

The captain put down his ale with a chuckle and grabbed Suga’s hand to kiss it.

The fencing teacher whimpered, “Dai… not here… we’re still on duty…”

“Don’t care…” he kissed up his arm to his nape.

Suga had to use all his willpower to move away from the kissy guard.

“Sawamura Daichi! You pervert!”

“Only for you, Koushi…” looking at him like some lovesick puppy.

Suga rolled his eyes and said, “Look, once everything between Hinata and the king has been settled, then I’ll retire my post and we’ll get married like we always wanted.”

Daichi smiled and kissed his cheek, “I love you, Koushi.”

“I love you too, Daichi…” he smiled back and kissed him on the lips.

* * *

Nishinoya waited in anticipation in the royal gardens by the pond. He sat cross-legged on the ground while moving his finger in the water causing ripples.

Then a voice shouted, “Yuu!”

He gasped and jumped in excitement seeing the much taller man coming his way. Noya ran to him and bear hugged him, forcing them to fall to the ground. The man tried to get up but Yuu just pulled him in for a kiss.

When they took a breath, Yuu uttered, “I missed you…”

The bigger teen replied, “I missed you too…”

“A whole month, Asahi! A whole month!”

“I know… but you know the king wanted me to settle disputes between the clothing merchants and their workers.”

“Well your fashion sense was right for the job, but still! It was unbearable without you here!”

Lord Azumane made a sad smile, “It was unbearable without you too…”

They gazed into each other’s eyes before kissing again.

Then Yuu questioned in concern, “Any news from your family?”

“They’re still trying to find a bride for me.” he sighed. “Most likely it’ll be with Lady Shimizu Kiyoko.”

Yuu sighed and turned his head, “Well if it has to be someone I’ll be glad it’s her. Her beauty is immeasurable and is kind like the goddess she is, so to lose you to her would be a great honor.”

Asahi gawked in horror, “Are you saying you don’t want me?!”

He retorted, “Of course I want you! But your family doesn’t approve of me because I’m a lowly commoner! You know that!” some tears spilled from his eyes.

Asahi saw that and wiped the tears away with his thumb, “Yuu… You know I’ll never love anybody but you…”

“Then… why don’t you fight for us?” Noya questioned with a pout.

The older winced at that and sweated, “I… I would Yuu… but my parents would disown me and any future we would’ve had would be gone… I couldn’t do that to you…”

“I don’t care about that! So what if we won’t have any money, at least we would be together! That’s all I want!” more tears came out of his eyes, too fast for Asahi to catch. Then the smaller got off him and went back to the pond, shedding the tears into water.

Asahi wanted to comfort him, but figured he would make things worse and decided it was best to go much to his sorrow.

Nishinoya saw in the water’s reflection of him leaving and cried even harder.

* * *

Lady Shimizu Kiyoko was never one for forced courtship. Her parents were insisting she’d married someone of equal standing or higher. She certainly didn’t like how Asahi’s parents were doing the same thing to him and they have been encouraged to see each other on a regular occasion.

But Kiyoko already knew how Asahi felt and that they were purely good friends and will be nothing more. His heart already belonged to another and she certainly did not wish to stand in the way of that.

Looking out her suite’s window, she had seen the going-ons in the garden feeling very sad for the young lovers.

She desired to have her own romance but haven’t been very successful. The only lord in the castle she found remotely attractive was Lord Tanaka Ryuunosuke but her parents thought he was a questionable match for her.

But Tanaka tries his hardest to please them and her. She can remember when they first met that he boldly asked to marry her on the spot and naturally she had to refuse but she had to admit that he was cute when he did it.

Secretly she hoped her parents will change their minds about him so they could properly court and then marry.

Currently she was working on her needlepoint till there was a knock at her door and she permitted whoever it was in.

And lo and behold it was the very boy she was thinking about with his flushed cheeks as he cleared his throat while holding a bouquet of roses out.

“Lord Tanaka.” she stated.

“L-Lady Kiyoko. These are for you.”

She took them, slightly sniffing the flowers before thanking him and put them in a vase and rearranged them.

“So um, how has your day been going?” he asked while rubbing his head.

“Fine.” she replied without looking at him, “And you?”

“I-it’s good!” feeling flustered.

Kiyoko knows he gets tongue-tied around her, making him even more adorable. Other suitors she’s had would try to charm their way into her heart but it just made them boorish in her eyes since they only wanted one thing from her. Granted, Ryuunosuke would always praise her beauty to others and Nishinoya would join in but they meant well.

She responded, “I’m glad.” she finished arranging the flowers then went back to her needlepoint. As much as she wanted to socialize more with him, it would be improper otherwise since they were not courting.

Tanaka started backing toward the door, “Well um, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day…”

“You too.” she softly said.

He closed the door and once he was out in the hall he pounded his head, chastising himself for not saying more to her.

* * *

Takeda headed for the mage’s tower to see Ukai busy mixing his next set of potions. He wasn’t as skilled with magic like his grandfather, the Great Mage Ukai was but his potions did the job just fine.

The blond was experimenting with his chemistry set singing to himself, not seeing the royal adviser behind him that when he turned his head, he screamed, causing a mistake with the set and there was minor explosion making smoke fill the entire room!

“Oh goodness!” Takeda exclaimed while waving the smoke away, “Are you okay?”

Ukai-with soot on his face-coughed, “Fine! I’m okay!”

Takeda sighed in relief, “Thank goodness, I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”

“So any more exciting news today?” he cleaned his face then went back to fixing the set.

“No so far everything is slowly going back to the way it was except now we have a small ball of energy at the academy and the king is working harder than ever. I suspect he wants to improve his social skills to impress the young man.” slightly smirking.

“I just can’t believe the king is going through all this trouble just to have that kid. If what you told me about him was true, it’s amazing.”

He nodded then said, “Well I came up here to remind you of the Royal Banquet next month.”

“Ah, that is coming up, isn’t it? What do you want me to do this year?”

“Well as much as we appreciate your magic tricks being used for entertainment, the king thought it would be best to try something new like maybe help the kitchen staff to serve the food in a splendid way?”

Ukai hummed, “Pulling all the stops are we?”

“I think… it’s a theory but it’s likely in this case… He’s trying to wow the visiting royals and delegates to accept his choice in a future consort, since Hinata will be present there.”

“Huh, that’s pretty clever.”

“Right?! When it comes to his duties, the king is always one step ahead.”

Ukai frowned, “Of course… there’s the matter of him actually earning the boy’s love… What will happen if he fails to do that?”

Takeda frowns as well, “It’s hard to say… I can’t imagine him having a contingency plan since he’s so sure he’ll have him.” he took a deep breath, “But we’ll get there when we get there if it comes to it. For now, it’s best to focus on the now and hope for the best.”

Ukai nodded in agreement then they went over plans of how to make this the best banquet they ever had.


	4. Chapter 4

“ _Huh?!_ What you mean he’s not coming?!” Kageyama bellowed while overseeing the banquet preparations a week before.

Suga elaborated, “It’s not that he doesn’t want to come, it’s just he thought it would be inappropriate since he has nothing to wear for the occasion.”

“Is that all?”

Suga nodded, “Can you blame him? After all given what he has told me about his background during our training sessions, he grew up poor and he came to the palace without bringing anything so of course he’s going to feel ashamed about his appearance.”

The king hummed in thought before he shouted to the nearby staff, “Send for the royal tailor!”

A chorus of yes sirs rang throughout the hall as they obeyed the command.

Sugawara smirked to himself, _I thought as much… When Hinata told me of his problem, I knew the king wasn’t going to stand by…_

* * *

Hinata was baffled by the man taking his measurements while the king was the side observing.

The ginger tried to say while the tailor kept working, “Your Majesty- this isn’t necessary!”

“Yes, it is, you need a formal suit like the rest of my court.”

“About that… I’m only here until I repay my family’s debt on the taxes right?”

Kageyama furrowed his brows, slowly answering, “Right…”

“So how long will that be?”

“Three years.” he bluntly replied.

“Three years?! Hey, I know we were lacking in our payments but there is no way it’ll take that long!”

“Well then…” he moved closer to the point their faces were almost touching, “You should have thought of that before challenging me…” he smirked.

Hinata’s went red from both embarrassment and anger, “So you are trying to get back at me! I knew it! If the chastity belt wasn’t enough!” throwing his hands in the air.

“That belt is for your protection, especially with the banquet coming up.”

“Protection?! From what?!”

Tobio sighed, “Dumbass… I know you’re too innocent for your own good but even you have to realize you need to be careful around people that just want one thing from you…”

Hinata looked lost and tilted his head, “One… thing from me? I… don’t understand…”

A vain throbbed on the raven hair, muttering, “Of course you don’t…” then stated, “Look just keep the belt on and stay by my side throughout the event, got it?”

“Huh?! But shouldn’t I be with Suga and the other academy students?”

“No. I will request to Takeda for you to be placed next to me.”

“But why? You know you’ve done this before and I am still confused that happen, now this. Why do you give me these strange treatments?”

Kageyama sighed and turned away, “It’s complicated. I rather not get into the details.”

“Well I deserve some explanation don’t I? This is all new to me!”

“A king does not have to explain himself.” he stated firmly.

Hinata huffed then said, “You know, Your Majesty, you’re probably the most amazing king I have ever met,” Tobio perked up at his words, “you’re a good leader and good-looking and an incredible fencer! But…” Hinata frowned and proclaimed, “You’re also selfish, arrogant, scowlly, and spoiled!”

The tailor gasped loudly and dropped his pins, quickly he scrambled for them before running out of the room while Hinata defiantly stared at the king who slowly turned back with the scariest face Shoyou had seen from him and slightly withered and gulped at the sight.

Kageyama darkly replied, “ _Arrogant, am I? Selfish, am I? And spoiled, am I?”_

Hinata’s lip trembled before shouting back, “Yes! Yes you are! Punish me if you want, I don’t care at this point!” shutting his eyes bracing for the impact.

Seeing how he looked, the king sighed inwardly in defeat, _Damn it… why do you have to so cute when I’m upset at you…? And as much as I don’t like it, he’s the only one brave enough say those things to me since everyone else is too scared or polite to say anything like that to me. I want to know my flaws so I can be a better king…_

With Hinata’s eyes still shut, Kageyama kept staring at him before slowly leaning in and quickly kissing his cheek before power walking out there, his footsteps echoing.

Hinata opened his eyes with a gasp, and slowly touched his cheek where the kiss was.

_W-what was that?! Does the king… like me? No! No there’s no way! But… why would he kiss me like that? Is he just messing with me? But why would he? I’m so confused!_

His knees gave away and he covered his red face.

“Hinata!” a worry Suga rushed into the room, “Are you hurt?! Did the king smack you as punishment for talking back?!”

Sugawara recalled the royal tailor bursting into the servant’s quarters, crying out that Hinata spoke out of turn, calling the king arrogant and spoiled. And while Hinata wasn’t wrong, Suga knew how risky it was to say such things and immediately ran to help the boy but now feared that he was too late.

Hinata looked at his mentor with flushed cheeks and shook his head, “No… he didn’t hit me…”

Suga’s brow went up, “Then… what did he do?”

“He… kissed me…”

“ _Pardon?_ ” his eyes widen.

“He kissed my cheek, Suga!”

The older teen gawked.

_So instead of being angry with him… he rewarded him… Oh my gods…_

Suga wanted to laugh out loud but kept it in seeing how confused and dazed Hinata was. He cleared his throat, “I suggest then you go apologize to the royal tailor for scaring him like that but it be best not to mention the kiss.”

The ginger jumped, “Oh! You’re right! I forgot that he was there! I’ll go do that!” he ran out.

* * *

“You… kissed him?” Takeda gapped in disbelief while in the king’s chambers.

Tobio with crossed arms and closed eyes slowly nodded, “Right, for some reason I couldn’t be upset at him for speaking the truth, so I ended up kissing his cheek.”

Takeda’s lips slightly twitched up, “Your Majesty…”

“Yes I should have punished him for speaking out like that but I couldn’t. Honestly, with each passing day that dumbass keeps surprising me and I feel strange around him because of that…”

The man had to cover his mouth from laughing out.

_Oh my gods… he really has fallen in love…_

“Takeda, have the guests responded to the invitations?”

“Huh? Oh! Yes, they have. As expected, the kings of Nekoma, Fukurodani, and Aobajohsai will be coming.”

Tobio scoffed, “So Ushijima couldn’t brother coming?”

“No but his delegate, Lord Tendo Satori will be there. Other delegates from Johzenji, Wakutani, Tokonami, Ohgiminami, Tsubakihara, Inarizaki, and Datetech will be there as well.

“Good, that’s more than last year, isn’t it?”

“It is. It’s quite the impressive number so far.”

“This banquet was started by my grandfather when he was king and I want to make sure the tradition continues to strengthen our kingdoms’ ties.”

Takeda nodded, “An admirable cause, Your Majesty.”

“Remember, Hinata needs to sit by me, I want everyone to see the look of my future consort.”

He bowed, “Of course, Your Majesty, it shall be done.”

* * *

The night of the banquet arrived. Coaches came in droves by the entryway of the castle making the valets busy as the royalty and nobility were escorted inside into the banquet hall with the herald announcing their arrival.

“King Kuroo and King Kozume of Nekoma! King Bokuto and King Akaashi of Fukurodani! King Oikawa and King Iwaizumi of Aobajohsai!”

The kings greeted each other and then approached King Kageyama with Daichi right by his side as his bodyguard.

Bokuto heartily greeted, “Kageyama! Long no time no see!”

Kuroo chuckled, “It’s only been a year since we last saw him. Not much has changed.”

Oikawa smirked while grabbing a nearby glass from a passing serving tray, and swirled it in his grip as he said, “I wouldn’t know about that… word has it someone had the nerve to challenge him to a duel…”

His husband rolled his eyes while the other kings were stunned by that news.

Bokuto exclaimed, “Whoa! Really?! Is that true?!” turning to the peeved king.

Kageyama stared intensely at his smug cousin and stated, “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you would know that… after all, you do tend to leave your spies here to watch my court’s every move…” he sneered.

Daichi spoke up, “I really wish you would let me take care of that, Your Majesty. It is becoming bothersome watching the sneaks slip in and out.”

“Yet I already told you that I have nothing to hide from my cousin, so let him snoop. He won’t get anything from me.” he said straight to Oikawa’s face who just kept smirking.

Kenma questioned, “Who was this challenger?”

Kuroo agreed, “I want to know too.” smirking away.

Tobio replied, “You’ll meet him once everyone is seated, he’ll be by my side the whole night.”

“Oh?!” the Nekoma and Fukurodani kings proclaimed.

Oikawa chuckled and uttered, “I knew it…”

* * *

Everyone was given a place at the large table. Kageyama was naturally at the head of the table with Oikawa sitting at his left given their blood relation to each other, but the seat to his right remained empty until a short ginger approached them in a white formal suit in contrast to the king’s black formal suit with golden buttons and a red sash across.

Kageyama addressed the kings, “Meet the challenger, Hinata Shoyou.”

Bokuto gawked, pointing, “He’s so tiny!”

Hinata’s cheeks puffed up, “I’m short but I can jump high!”

Kuroo and Kenma exchanged bewildered looks, Akaashi rose a brow, and Iwaizumi’s mouth twitched while his husband still had that smug expression.

_Every bit the spitfire I thought he be… even his looks prove it…_

Bokuto let out a guffaw, “I like you, kid! We’re going to get along great!” raising his cup in joy.

Hinata blushed at the compliment before taking his seat.

Kuroo went right to the point, “So you challenged the king to a duel?”

“I did.”

Kenma asked in deadpan, “Were you asking for a death wish?”

“I was asking for my freedom…”

More bewildered looks then Akaashi questioned, “Why is that?”

“The Baron was my family’s landlord, we couldn’t pay our taxes so I made a deal with him and he was going to sell me to the king.”

Kageyama took over, “I banished that scum, but Hinata still had to work for me to pay off the debt.”

“So I challenged his highness to let me go! It was a close call, I almost had him!”

Tobio casually sipped his cup, “Did not, you were nowhere near my level.”

“Did so! Suga said I almost had you in a draw!”

As the two bantered back and forth, the royals were amazed by the display. They turned their way to the other nobles of Karasuro with Lord Sugawara and Vizier Takeda shaking their heads wearily like this has happened before more than once.

Even a few other delegates were witnessing the display with fascination, particularly Lord Tendo Satori with a smirk. 

By then the Head Chef announced it was time to serve the main course and that Mage Ukai used his magic to please the crowd as food on platters and plates floated down to the table, then made a champagne glass pyramid, having a bottle of champagne float to the top and pour down, creating an elegant waterfall. Causing oohs and ahhs from the audience, Hinata especially was dazzled by the show and seeing that Kageyama made a smirk, like it was his plan along. Of course that didn’t escape Oikawa’s notice.

 _Clever bastard…_ his face darkened in disdain.

Iwaizumi had noticed as well and lowly commented, “How come you don’t try to impress me like that…?”

Tooru growled and clenched his cup.

* * *

The night went on, the servings kept coming viva magic and then when dessert came, Ukai conjured a chocolate fountain much to Bokuto and Hinata’s delight.

Then when everyone had finished eating, King Kagayama got up to address his guests, “Esteem guests, please make your way to the ballroom for dancing and socializing for the rest of the evening and I hope you all have a wonderful time. Thank you.” sitting back down.

The guests began to pile out lead by the enthusiastic if ever so slightly tipsy Lady Tanaka Saeko with Lord Tsukishima Akiteru right behind her.

The visiting kings did the same though Oikawa gave a bitter look to his cousin before his husband dragged him away.

Hinata didn’t leave as just before the banquet began he was told to wait with the king after dinner was over.

Kageyama smiled and stood up again to offer his hand, “Come with me.”

Hinata’s cheeks tainted pink but he slowly took the king’s hand.

Ever since the kiss incident, the two were awkward around each other whenever they were alone.

Kageyama led him straight to the adjoining balcony overseeing the gardens. Hinata admired the view before looking back at the king.

Tobio stared back and said, “You… you look good tonight…”

Shoyou replied timidly, “Thanks… y-you do too…”

The king stammered for a bit before clearing his throat, asking as best as he could, “Would you like to dance?” offering his hand again.

Hinata’s eyes widen before they soften, “Sure…”

Tobio smiled brightly at this and got ready into position. Moving his arm around the ginger’s waist causing a sensual gasp from him and forcing him to touch the king’s chest with both hands.

Despite their difference in height, their faces were almost touching and both could feel their steady breathing against each other.

“Like this…” Tobio whispered in his ear, taking Shoyou’s left hand on his shoulder and took the other hand in his hand. The touch alone caused electricity to go through them.

Then slowly but surely, they began to dance the waltz right there on the balcony, lost in their own world.


	5. Chapter 5

The ballroom was crowded with people mingling and dancing. Without so much as a word, Iwaizumi took his husband onto the dance floor just as Bokuto and Kuroo did same for their husbands. Suga and Daichi had also taken to the dance floor along with a flushing Tanaka and calm Lady Kiyoko, Lady Tanaka Saeko and Lord Tsukishima Akiteru, and even Yamaguchi convinced the younger Tsukishima to dance with him!

On separate sides of the ballroom, Nishinoya and Asahi were looking away miserably.

Daichi and Suga stopped mid-dance step to see this sorry sight.

“Dai… I think we should help them…”

“I agree Koushi, but there’s only so much we can do…”

“I know… Asahi’s family is rich, strict, and traditional while Noya’s family is poor and large but they still have freedom and love.”

“Oof, talk about opposites attracting…”

“Tell me about it, their heights, their personalities, and as mentioned, their backgrounds. But it just means they’re good for each other.”

“So any ideas?”

“I’m thinking we get them on the dance floor and trick them into dancing together.”

“How?”

Suga smirked and looked toward Kiyoko, “Oh I have some idea..."

* * *

After convincing Tanaka to giving up his dance partner temporarily and relaying the plan to Shimizu, Daichi escorted her to Asahi telling him for the sake of appearances to his family, they should dance.

Asahi sighed in agreement, bowing to the lady while she curtsied. They went straight to the middle of ballroom floor.

Nishinoya caught sight of this and turned his head away, tears threatening to escape.

Suga quickly scooped in and offered his hand, “Care to dance, Noya?” hoping his student would accept.

Yuu swiftly composed himself and nodded, “Yeah, that be great, sensei.”

Suga inwardly sighed in relief and they took to the dance floor.

Asahi caught glimpse of this and stiffen.

Kiyoko had felt that and assured him, “I’m sure it’s just them bonding as master and student… it’ll be alright.”

“How…? How do you know?”

A slight smirk teased her lips, “Trust us.”

“Trust… us? Whose us?”

“Who else? Me, Suga, and Daichi.”

Asahi gawked, “Wait what-“ before he could finish, Sugawara bumped into them forcing them apart and Noya ended up in his arms instead while Suga took over as Kiyoko’s partner.

Both boys were shocked by this and looked over to see Suga giving them a knowing smile before dancing away.

Noya sputtered, “D-did he just… set us up?!”

Asahi grimaced, “Not just him, Kiyoko and Daichi too…”

“Say what?!” looking up, causing them to have eye contact.

They ended up staring at each other for awhile before Asahi blushed, “Since we’re… you know here… y-you want to dance with me?” face growing more red.

Nishinoya was quiet until he blushed too and answered, “Yeah… I’d like that…”

Asahi made a tiny smile and after adjusting themselves due to the height difference, they softly moved to the slow and romantic music playing.

On the sidelines, the matchmakers exchanged knowing looks, hoping things will work out for the lovers.

Kiyoko mentioned, “I just need to convince my parents, Ryuu is a better match for me and the family.”

Sugawara added, “But also, Asahi’s family need to see how worthy Yuu is. I hope to finish his training soon so he can be a knight. Proving that he is more than a commoner.”

Daichi nodded, “That’s right. Though it wouldn’t hurt if Asahi stood up to his parents, telling them how he really felt…”

His boyfriend agreed, “Yes that’s true, but you know that won’t work given how timid he is, he may look tough and scary as others perceive him but we know he’s nothing but a teddy bear in the body of a grizzly bear. It’s amazing really.”

Takeda came over then, “Captain, can you please check on his majesty and Hinata-san to make sure everything is okay?”

Sugawara stated, “I’ll come with you. I want to see how they’re doing.” smirking mischievously.

Daichi sighed, “Of course you do.”

At that point Oikawa had overheard and told them, “While you’re doing that, would you take this suggestion to Tobio-chan?”

Suga frowned, “What kind of suggestion?”

The king smirked, “So glad you asked…”

* * *

After have finished their waltz, they went down to the gardens and sat at the edge of the fountain with Hinata telling Kageyama why he got into fencing.

“The Tiny Giant?”

“Yes! He’s so awesome! I want to be just like him!”

“Hm, I can admire his heroics to help the people of Karasuro, but the fact remains that he’s a vigilante for taking matters into his own hands like that.”

“So what?! He’s still a hero! Up in the mountains he saved me and my neighbors five years ago!”

“He… saved your life?” Tobio gapped at this information.

“That’s right! Its all the more reason I want to be like him!”

“Hm, that makes sense.”

They went quiet and looked away awkwardly, not sure how to proceed further given the nature of their relationship was so strange. What was their relationship? Were they a king and his subject? Yes but also no. It was clear the king wanted more from Hinata but the ginger was unsure. To be closer to his majesty would certainly be nice but do so would mean giving up dreams that Shoyou had since he was a young boy, did he really want to give that up?

Thankfully before he could he think of an answer, Sir Sawamura and Lord Sugawara approached them.

Daichi started, “Please excuse us, Your Majesty…”

Suga took over, “But your cousin, King Oikawa has asked us to tell you of his suggestion.”

Kageyama furrowed his brow, “Suggestion?”

“Yes, he believes that you two should have another duel to prove of Hinata’s skills since there are those that don’t believe he could challenge and fight someone of your caliber, and I quote from his words, ‘and it would be a perfect way to end the night’. Regrettably, sire, I have to agree with him… I have overheard of terrible words spoken against Hinata at dinner since you had him seated next to your person when he isn’t of noble blood…”

“I knew it!” Hinata yelled, “I knew I shouldn’t sit next to you!”

Kageyama tsked in annoyance, “He’s meddling in my business again… and I don’t care what snobs think…”

Hinata retorted, “Well I care! All my life I was told to stay in my place! I don’t blame those nobles at all for thinking like that!”

Suga slowly said, “It does put him in a bad spot, Your Majesty… They won’t approve unless his worth is proven… so I’m afraid another duel might be in order.”

Tobio tsked again before giving in, “Fine! If only to shut those pigs up.” he turned to Hinata and touched his chin, “Besides this will be an excellent way to see how much you have improved…”

A fire lit up in those big brown eyes of his and smirked, “Oh, you’ll see.”

The king smirked back, “Good answer.”

* * *

Everyone had been called to the courtyard where it was lit up with torches surrounding the area. The visiting kings were seated in a private box to observe the duel firsthand.

Bokuto was fidgeting and exclaimed, “Man I wish I can get in onto the action too!”

Akaashi sighed, “Maybe next time, dear. Right now this to show people that Hinata-san deserves to be on equal footing as the Karasuro king.”

Oikawa commented, “That and I would really like to see for myself how good a fencer he is.”

His husband rolled his eyes.

Kenma was watching intently on the redhead that had changed his clothes to a simple ruffled white shirt and black pants and Kageyama had the same attire on while they were on different sides of the yard.

Hinata was talking to his mentor that was giving him some last bit of advice before he went to meet Kageyama face-to-face and Suga got in position to give the signal.

“Ready… set… parry!”

The swords clashed. The duelists kept steady and didn’t waver in their movements. Tobio was awestruck. Hinata has gotten so much better than less in a month!

It showed because the audience was on the edge of their seats at the incredible fighting stance the ginger was giving off. Then when Kageyama swiped at him, he jumped so high it made the royals, nobles, and academy students’ jaws drop at the sight.

Tobio himself smirked at their reactions, _That’s right, now you see it… The only man who could ever catch my interest._

Oikawa’s gaze darkened while Lord Tendo was grinning madly.

When their swords clashed again, their faces were close too with determined smiles on them.

Tobio voiced, “You really have improved.”

“I told ya!” he declared with a clash.

Kageyama countered but barely, the king quickly lunged to get his footing back.

Hinata’s heart was racing, he was so close to finishing this! Victory was within his grasp!

Kageyama saw that cheeky smile and realized the severity of the situation… If Hinata won this, he would demand for his freedom again! He couldn’t let that happen! Hinata had to stay! Hinata was his and nobody else’s! Looking at the audience he could see the hungry eyes of delegates looking at Hinata, Lord Miya Atsumu from Inarizaki for instance had a lustful stare toward the short ginger that the king did not like at all.

With that in mind, Kageyama fought back with more force.

Hinata felt the pressure on the sword attacks, wiping the smirk off his face. The king was definitely not going to lose so easily to him.

Sugawara and the rest of Karasuro was sweating bullets at this point.

Who was going to win this?!

Tsukishima commented, “They’re at a standstill. Neither of them is going to back down.”

Suga nodded, “It’s true. They both want to win so much…”

Hinata did a stop-thrust, nearly disarming Kageyama.

 _Damn it! That was close!_ The king bitterly thought, he thrusts back and did a tierce.

Hinata did a compound to keep him on his toes.

As they kept going, their energy level was slowing down and they were starting to sweat.

Sugawara saw this and knew if he didn’t step in soon, one of them will make a mistake and the other will get badly hurt which will cause regret for both parties.

“HALT!” he shouted.

That stopped the duelists as they panted and lowered their swords.

Suga came fore, stating, “Both of you have fought well up till this point. But I know you’re getting tired and will slip up if you’re not careful. So I would like to call this match a draw with the consent of both parties.”

The two eyed each other with Kageyama saying, “I will if you will…”

Shoyou bit his lip, thinking it over.

“Hinata.”

He saw Suga’s eyes pleading to him. He sighed and nodded.

And thus, Hinata and Kageyama’s second match ended in a draw.


	6. Chapter 6

Kageyama violently sneezed and coughed while being bedridden. The royal physician had already diagnosed that he overworked himself by preparing for the banquet and that the duel was the catalyst to him falling ill.

Takeda was thankful it was nothing serious but taking care of the king was still his top priory and figuring it would cheer him up, he summoned for Hinata to help take care of him and it worked out better than he imagined with the teen knowing exactly what he was doing.

He explained while wrangling out a wet cloth and put it on the king’s forehead, “When my little sister, Natsu or my mother gets sick, I help take care of them.”

Takeda nodded, “That makes sense.”

“I actually have some ideas for remedies that could help him get better faster.”

“Ah! Then you should talk with Mage Ukai about that.”

“Okay!” he beamed.

* * *

Entering a wizard’s workshop fascinated Hinata and Ukai was equally as fascinated with the boy. After a quick tour of the facility, Hinata told the man of the remedies he used in the past. Ukai set to work while Hinata looked at the number of potions on the selves.

“Is this what you had in mind?” Ukai asked, handing him a bowl full of powder made of crushed herbs.

Hinata dip his finger to taste-test then proclaimed, “Yup! That’s it!”

“Good.” putting it in a pouch and giving it to the boy, “Make sure you come back next week to give me more recipes on homemade remedies since I think they could be quite useful to the castle.”

“Sure! And you can show me what potions you made!”

The man chuckled and they shook on it, “Deal.”

* * *

Hinata had sprinkle the remedy on the porridge then scooped it up and held the spoon toward the sick king.

“Open wide, Your Majesty.”

Kageyama pouted and turned his head away, “I refuse to eat something I don’t know.”

“Don’t be such a baby!”

“Who you calling bab-“ he coughed furiously.

“See?! Now take it or you’re going to get worst!” shoving it straight into his mouth.

Tobio was forced to swallow, and he had to admit it but his throat did feel soothed after that.

“Much better, right?”

“It was… fine.”

Thank goodness his face was already red, so his blushing cheeks wouldn’t show.

Hinata smiled and kept spoon feeding him.

The king was enjoying getting this kind of attention from Hinata. He’ll have to remember to give Takeda a raise for thinking of this. At first he didn’t want Hinata to see him like this, so vulnerable and sick but after seeing the ginger’s concern eyes and having him nurse him was completely worth it.

Takeda, Suga, and Daichi were in the doorway with knowing smiles, before they decided to leave the two lovebirds alone.

In the time Hinata attended to the king, they shared more about their families, and learned of the king’s older sister being a grand duchess since she gave up her right to the throne shortly before the previous king, their grandfather passed away.

Tobio loved hearing stories of a younger Shoyou playing with his little sister and learning more about the commoner lifestyle. It was sad to hear of his father going out to sea just to make money for the family. Now the conversation they had during the first duel made sense.

They also mention their common interests besides fencing making Hinata all warm inside. He was really starting to like being near the king.

This lasted a few more days before Kageyama was feeling better.

Hinata checked his forehead, “I think you can go back to work tomorrow.”

Tobio felt a mix of relief and disappointment. He was glad he could return to his duties but he would also miss Shoyou’s constant presence.

Making him ask, “Hinata, will you join me for lunch here from now on?”

The ginger lit up at the question and turned away to blush, “If… if that is your majesty’s wish…”

“Please, call me Tobio when we’re alone.”

He gawked before replying shyly, “O-only if you call me Shoyou in return…”

Kageyama smiled at this before taking his small hand into his large one and kissed it.

* * *

Time passed. True to word, Hinata joined Kageyama in his quarters for lunch every day unless an important matter had to be dealt with giving them a chance to get closer and know each other personally without titles getting in the way.

Although that was a problem whenever Hinata trained with the other students and Suga since he would nearly blurt out the king’s name whenever he was brought up in conversation.

Kageyama would accidently do the same whenever he talked to Takeda about him.

Then when Shoyou’s birthday came, Tobio surprised him with Tamago Kake Gohan making the boy super happy!

The months slowly went on, summer went into fall and then the first snowfall happened.

At that point their friendship had grown exponentially and some lingering feelings as well.

Tobio was more in love than he was in the beginning, anyone could see that.

Shoyou on the other hand was conflicted. He truly felt something for the king but he still wasn’t sure if this was the life he wanted.

It was also at this point that Hinata got to know everyone’s personal life at the academy officially making him a part of the family and Hinata wanted to help Nishinoya with his love troubles mainly as a distraction from his own.

Asahi and Kiyoko were still in the middle of courtship but it won’t be long until their families finalize it with the wedding.

Hinata wanted a plan to help Noya and Asahi but couldn’t think of anything good. He told his friend as such during their fencing session.

Noya made a sad smile, “It’s okay, Sho. It’s my problem anyway, and I’ve accepted whatever the outcome will be…”

But Hinata could see the sorrow on his face, telling him that wasn’t true.

“Then… maybe you… you could have some kind of memento of your love? I know before my father left he gave my mother a locket as a token of their love.”

Yuu’s eyes widen and lowered his sword, exclaiming, “Shoyou! That’s perfect!” swiftly embracing him then ran out.

“Ah… You’re welcome!” he called out.

* * *

Nishinoya was in Ukai’s tower going over the potion bottles trying to find the one that would help him be pregnant. He figured if he and Asahi couldn’t be together then he would at least have their child as a reminder of their love. He checked the logs and found a small purple bottle, figuring this had to be it. Luckily there were other bottles like it so Ukai won’t miss it.

He returned to his room at the academy, putting the vial in a safe place.

Now all he had to do was seduce Asahi into having sex with him, which wouldn’t be easy. Asahi wasn’t as bad as Hinata when it came to that stuff but he was modest and a gentleman so hitting fourth base will be tricky especially when they haven’t gone to third base yet.

So he needed to put him into the mood in the meantime. With the potion safely locked away, he set out to fulfill his mission.

* * *

“I’m worried about Yuu.” Asahi told Suga and Daichi while they were drinking in the kitchen that night. “He kept coming on to me like I was a side dish! I was so scared I ran away!”

The couple exchanged a look, wondering what that was about. Nishinoya tended to overact from time to time but this sounded concerning…

Suga said, “I’ll talk to him.”

Asahi begged, “Please do!”

* * *

Sugawara could hear the sniffles coming from Yuu’s room and gently opened the door to see the teen staring at a purple bottle. He gasped, opening the door all the way, “Noya! Is that…?!” but was cut off by the crying bundle hugging him. With a sigh, he stroked his hair and rubbed his back.

Noya sobbed out, “I-I-I don’t know w-what e-else to do! I thought having a baby would help ease the pain of losing him! Having his child is all I want!”

Suga had a painful smile, “Oh Noya…” hugging him closer, “this is not the way, you know that… If you had a baby, you know it would devastate Asahi that he couldn’t be part of your lives. It’s not fair for either of you…”

“But-“

“You’re almost done with your training. In fact I was going to surprise you, but you’ll be a knight by Christmas.” he smiled.

Noya with tear stains on his cheeks looked up in disbelief, “Are… are you serious?”

“It’s true. Your knighting ceremony will take place on Christmas Eve.” his smile brightened.

“Oh Suga!” he cried again but out of joy and the two hugged.

Then the older grabbed the bottle, stating, “I’m going to take this back to Ukai.”

“Y-you won’t tell Asahi right?”

“No. It would just worry him more when he’s overwhelm as it is. I just can’t believe you almost went this far, it was shocking.”

“Yeah you’re right… even I’m surprised at myself… I just… lost it, I guess.”

Suga nodded, “It’s understandable. The strain of losing a love one is too much for anybody.”

They hugged again before he left.

Suga went down the hall but didn’t see the lose cobblestone at his feet, causing him to trip and the bottle flung out of his hand. He couldn’t see it roll into one of the students’ rooms.

The fencing teacher cursed under his breath as he got up, not only did he lose the bottle but he may have broken his foot in the process since it hurt greatly when he tried to stand up on it.

Noya thankfully heard the commotion and helped his mentor to the infirmary where it was discovered he indeed broken his foot.

News quickly spread and Hinata and the other students rushed in.

Suga assured them he’ll be fine but training would have to go on without him.

Daichi came and being the devoted lover he was, he promised he wouldn’t leave his side while he was healing.

Then as everyone was leaving, Suga called for Hinata.

The ginger stayed back and was told to hold out his hands and to his shock his chastity belt key was placed in them.

Suga said, “I’m trusting you to follow though.”

Hinata gapped then tears glossed his eyes and covered his face with his knuckles. He inhaled deeply and faced him with a determined look, “I’ll do it! I promise to make you proud, Master!”

He smiled back, “I know you will.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some explicit content is in this chapter. You have been warned.

“Sugawara broke his foot?!” Kageyama exclaimed while in his study.

Takeda sadly nodded, “Last night. He tripped.”

“Where is he now?”

“In his room resting, Sir Sawamura is taking care of him while his lieutenant is taking over his duties.”

“I see.”

“He… also wanted me to give you this.” he held out a note.

Tobio took it and read it.

_Your Majesty, I know I should have asked first, but I believe in Hinata and you should too, since he already promised to follow through. I gave him the key to his belt and I will accept any punishment you see fit but I truly believe this is for the best for him and for you. Trust can only be built if both are willing to let it be. I implore you to realize that._

_Wishing you all the best,_

_Lord Sugawara Koushi_

Tobio uttered, “He… let him have the key?” not sure what to make of this.

Takeda read the note and said, “Well… he is right you know. This is a good way of building trust between you two.”

Kageyama furrowed his brows, “Except…” he got up and started leaving the room, “I already trust him.” he went, leaving a bewildered Takeda.

* * *

Hinata was on his way to the gym when Kageyama stopped him in his path.

“Oh Tobio!”

“Shoyou, I got a note from Suga telling me he gave you the key.”

“He did but I swear! I’ll make sure to wear it before and after practice! I would never disobey your rule! I know how much you want me to wear this! Please believe me!”

“I do. I have for awhile now…”

Hinata gapped.

The king continued, “I think… until Suga is healed, you can take it off completely.”

He gasped and his eyes widen in shock, uttering, “Are… are you serious?”

Tobio slightly smiled and nodded, “I trust you, Shoyou.”

Tears almost fell as Hinata was overwhelmed with joy and without stopping to think, he jumped the taller teen, wrapping his arms around his neck, and before Kageyama could protest, the shorter teen pressed his lips to his.

Lost in the moment the king closed his eyes in bliss.

Hinata then realized what he was doing and quickly let go to apologize. But Tobio cupped his face and kissed him back.

This time Shoyou closed his eyes in bliss with his heart beating faster.

When they took a breath, they stared at each other for a bit, until Hinata feeling flustered, said, “I should go, they’ll be wondering where I am…”

“Right, you do that.”

They slowly parted ways, secretly wishing they wouldn’t have to separate so soon. They lingered while walking and kept looking back until they were gone from each other’s sights.

* * *

When practice was over, Yamaguchi went to his room and started getting ready for a bath when he spotted something by the foot of his bed. It was a small purple bottle and he looked at in confusion wondering how this ended up in his room.

“Did someone drop their juice or wine on accident?” he questioned to himself while picking up it and observed it, slightly shaking it, “Well it doesn’t seem like it was drunken out of given how full it is… Oh! Maybe it’s an early Christmas present from Kei! That’s it!” the tall boy beamed at the thought of his oldest friend and crush would get him a gift before the actual holiday, he hoped that meant something special between them.

He put it on his bedside table for now deciding to wait until Christmas Eve to drink it.

* * *

The King’s birthday was fast approaching and Hinata was at a loss to give him a present and the same went for Christmas. But what could he give a king that has everything?

He thought back to when they first met and how Tobio wanted him as a concubine at first and at the time he was painfully naïve to what that was. And since he and Suga refused to tell him or anybody else for that matter, he decided to take matters into his own hands once he had turned sixteen and went straight to the castle library without anyone knowing and looked it up.

At first it was a shock but remembering how Tobio changed his mind and didn’t want to bring it up again, he was grateful. Then he looked up other things involving sex including how two men did it.

Currently he was soaking in the porcelain tub in the adjoining bathroom of his room, then he slowly felt himself while he remembered the graphic illustrations in those books then lowered his hand to his lower region that was deep underwater, he could tell he was already hard.

Then he thought what it would be like if Tobio had touched him the way those men in the pictures did and slowly rubbed his groin.

He panted through his ministrations, putting him over the edge.

“Tobioooo!” he cried out as he climaxed.

He flushed in embarrassment of what he done and groaned while face-palming.

* * *

It’d been happening for awhile now. Tobio kept having these wet dreams of Shoyou every night resulting him waking up to a hard-on and forcing to masturbate to get rid of it.

He would cry out, “Shoyooouuu!” while climaxing.

Then he would bury his face in his pillow, groaning.

 _Why do I torture myself this way?!_

* * *

It was the morning of Tobio’s birthday, and Hinata had one thing in mind for a present but he was very nervous to go through with it. Reading books was one thing but to actually do it… He moved his legs to his face on his bed and groaned.

Yamaguchi was passing by when he saw the state his friend was in and went to him in concern, “Shoyou, what’s wrong?”

Hinata looked up pitifully, “Tadashi… I’m scared…”

“Scared? Of what?”

“About… having sex…”

The tall boy gapped and uttered, “You… you know about…?”

“After my birthday I looked up what a concubine was and then I found other stuff relating to sex, including anal.”

Tadashi blushed at that.

“Sorry… didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“No, it’s just surprising you would look it up yourself.”

“Actually I surprised myself too, but no one wanted to tell me anything so I had no choice but to.”

“But why are you thinking about it now?”

“Because, Tob- the king’s birthday is today, and I want to give him a present, the problem is though, he already has everything he could want or need. But since he wanted me as a concubine at first, I figured I would give myself to him…”

Tadashi uttered in astonishment, “Shoyou…”

“I know it’s a stupid thing to do but… I really don’t know else to do since he means so much to me… I am scared of doing it but I love him, Tadashi. I love him.” a tear slipped from his eye.

He gasped and covered his mouth, “Shoyou…” then with a determined look he ran out of the room making Hinata confused until he came back with a purple bottle and a glass. “I was saving this until Christmas but you need this more than I do.” putting it on a table, “Drink this tonight to ease your nerves and it should dull your senses too so it’ll be easier for you to seduce the king.”

Hinata questioned, “Is that wine?”

“I think so. I just found it in my room last week but I’m pretty sure it’s a present from Kei.”

“But if it is then shouldn’t you keep it?”

“Like I said, you need it more than I do. You want to do something for the one you love and I want to help with that.”

Shoyou was on the verge of crying and hugged his friend, “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

* * *

Kageyama was confused by Hinata’s letter to meet him in his room tonight after the feast and the giving of gifts.

To him this was just a formality since he already has what he wants but it did surprise him that Shoyou didn’t give him a gift like everybody else but then… why ask to meet him in his room? Maybe he did have gift but he wanted to give it to him personally? Well who was he to complain?

He straight to the academy and went to Hinata’s door and knocked.

There was a pause as inside the ginger swallowed down the last of the bottle Tadashi gave him before Shoyou replied almost nervously, “C-come in!”

Tobio slowly entered and to his utter shock the entire room was covered in candles! Sending off a very romantic atmosphere and if that wasn’t enough, Shoyou was sitting on his bed wearing nothing but a robe. Turning Tobio on.

“Sho… what…?”

“Tobio… I know what concubine means now.”

The king stiffened, “How- who…?”

“I looked it up myself. I’ve known for awhile now but kept it to myself so I wouldn’t upset you. But today I didn’t know what else to give you since you already have everything you need so I decided I would give myself to you…” he blushed and avoided his gaze, making him look cute in Tobio’s eyes.

Kageyama was speechless at this, then he slightly frown as he said, “I’m sorry, I can’t accept this.”

“But-“

He held his hand up, “It’s a tempting offer, believe me.” in fact it was taking all his willpower not to jump him right now. “But I won’t make you do this on my account.” he turned to go but was stopped by three words.

“I love you.”

Tobio gawked and slowly looked back to see the determination on the ginger’s face, repeating, “I love you. I want to do this with you. It has be you because I don’t want anyone else. I understand now why you wanted me to wear the chastity belt and it makes me glad I was able to save myself for you especially now. So please let me give this gift to you…”

Tobio stood there stunned and slowly moved forward to him and caress his cheek. “You’re sure? You really want this?”

Shoyou melted to his touch, “Yes… more than anything… even though I’m nervous since it’s my first time…”

“It’s my first time too.”

Shoyou’s eyes widen, “But… you could have anyone to…”

“My plan was to wait until my 18th birthday to have sex with a concubine so I can have an heir to the throne.”

Hinata blinked in bewilderment realizing what that meant.

Tobio smiled and cupped his face, “That’s right, I wanted you right from the beginning.”

Shoyou nearly cried in joy as they went in for a passionate kiss.

When they broke away, Tobio gripped the robe, nearly growling, “Last chance, Sho… you sure you really want this?”

The ginger gripped his shirt in turn, whispering, “Yes, more than sure. I want you so badly, Tobio…”

The king kissed him again before slowly removing the robe to look at his prize.

* * *

The intimacy that was shared in that moment was truly beyond anything they could have dreamed or imagined. It was so much better.

Dawn had approached and the sun was rising higher but neither moved from their nude embrace underneath the sheets.

“You should go… Takeda will be worried of where you are and call the guards to search for you.”

Tobio groaned, knowing his beloved was right but refused to get up and let go especially when it felt so nice having Shoyou in his arms like this.

“I don’t want you to go either, but you’re still the king and I would be disappointed if you shirk from your responsibilities.”

Tobio sighed, “You truly know what to say to me.” he kissed his forehead and got up to dress.

Shoyou sat up and smirked at his bare back, “For what it’s worth, I like seeing this side of you.”

Tobio just chuckled and shook his head, stating, “I’m going to devour you for that, next time.”

“Next time?”

The king smirked mischievously, “Oh you can bet on it.”

“When?”

“You’ll see…” and without another word, he left.


	8. Chapter 8

And that next time came much sooner than expected.

The Christmas Eve celebration was huge with Nishinoya’s knighting ceremony taking place. Kageyama raised his sword and knighted the teen with everyone especially with Asahi, Suga, and Hinata beaming with pride and having tears in their eyes.

Everyone in the castle was merry and mingled while having drinks.

Then Tobio beckoned Shoyou and he led them away from the hall while everyone else was too busy or drunk to notice, then he grabbed his wrist and they broke into a run.

“Tobio wha-“

Before he could finish they were already in the king’s chambers and Tobio lifted the shorty in his arms and carried him to the bed.

He began kissing his face and nape, “Told ya I was going to devour you.”

Shoyou sensually gasped, feeling Tobio’s roaming hands all over him, making him a withering mess.

Tobio began to strip him and Shoyou did the same by unbuttoning his shirt.

* * *

Exhausted and sweaty, the two was still entangled around the sheets.

“Tobio…” he uttered softly, kissing his temple with the last of his energy.

“Shoyou…” he uttered back, kissing the ginger’s cheek.

“I love you…”

“Me too… I love you so much…”

Hinata nearly cried hearing that, then slowly asked, “So… what happens now?”

“Well… if you’re going to be consort, you’ll have to be trained as such.”

“Consort?” his eyes widen.

“That’s the idea.”

“But… am I even worthy to be consort? All of I known since childhood was how to be commoner. Also one of the reasons I wanted to be like the Tiny Giant was so I could go to different places and help people. I never thought…” his eyes drooped, “meeting you would change all that…” he fell asleep on Tobio’s chest.

The king was astonished by Shoyou’s words and as he stroked his love’s hair, the realization hit him like a rock.

_Have I really disrupted his life like that? Okay most of it was that damn baron’s fault but I still kept him here for my own selfish reasons especially now that I have deflowered him… I kept him away from his family, his hopes, and dreams… Ordered him to wear that belt and summon him whenever I wanted his attention… I’m honestly amazed he was able to fall for me after all that… His love… it’s so selfless and pure compared to mine. I was so greedy with him that I never once thought of what he wanted! I’m so stupid!_

Then with a deep breath and painful expression, he thought, _There’s only one thing I can do to make up for this… I… I have to let him go…_ he closed his eyes and a single tear fell down his cheek before falling asleep.

* * *

Shoyou woke up to his surprise of wearing a large nightshirt and was in his own bed instead Tobio’s. It was morning and he spotted a letter by his pillow. He read it.

_My dearest Shoyou… I have decided as a Christmas present that I pardon your debt and instead I have sent gifts and treasure to your family. I have also asked Daichi to escort you to your family to see them since I must oversee the festivities here. I hope you have a wonderful day with them and many more afterwards._

_All my love,_

_Tobio_

Hinata gasped happily and quickly changed then went to find Daichi who had a sleigh at the ready.

The captain smiled at how happy the boy was as he pulled the reins.

The mountain area of Karasuno was expectedly more snowy than other parts of the kingdom but they managed okay.

Finally they reached the Hinata residence that was a small but roomy house. It was a tearful reunion between the family. Daichi then took his leave, wishing them Merry Christmas and they did the same.

This truly was the best surprise Tobio could give him, he loved every bit it and he couldn’t wait to tell him personally.

But… he never got that chance…

* * *

The next day, Hinata waited in front of his house waiting for Daichi to escort him back but the guard never came… instead a messenger did with a letter.

He took it to read.

_Shoyou. I’m sorry but I won’t have you be brought back to the castle._

Alarm bells rang in the ginger’s head as he continued reading.

_I have come to realize that I was too selfish in my actions toward you. I made decisions on your behalf and that was wrong. I assumed too much you would be my consort when it was apparent you had no intention to do so. Your dream was to be like the Tiny Giant, a hero that has done good for this kingdom. If there’s one thing I hope your time at the palace has done is that you honed your skills as a swordsman so you can live that dream._

Hinata started crying and his hands were shaking but kept reading.

_I want you to live your life the way you want to, my love. I will no longer stand in your way. Farewell, my Shoyou…_

There were dry water spots on the letter, showing how much it hurt Tobio to write this.

Hinata let out an anguish yell and ran straight into the house and his room and cried onto his futon.

“You idiot! You jerk! You-you-you…!” he sobbed harder into his pillow, leaving only his mother and sister to comfort him.

* * *

“HE DID WHAT?!” a chorus of shouts rang throughout the hall.

Takeda nodded solemnly, “It’s true, I’m afraid. He’s forcing Hinata to stay home.”

Daichi stated, “I was so shocked that he didn’t have me get him the next day. Instead I was ordered to keep Hinata out from now on, so he can never enter the castle again.”

Suga shook his head in despair. He understood very well what the king was trying to do but the way he went about it was completely wrong.

Noya piped up, “We didn’t even get to say goodbye!”

“But we can still visit him, he’s just not allowed in the castle.” Yamaguchi pointed out.

Ennoshita nodded, “He’s right.”

Suga said, “I’ll be going, he needs me more than ever now.”

Daichi started to protest but was cut off.

“I’m feeling fine, my foot is almost healed and I’m just going for a visit. You don’t have to worry.” then he turned to Takeda, whispering, “Watch over his majesty. I noticed at breakfast he looked like he didn’t sleep and he hardly ate.”

The man nodded, “Yes, that concerns me too. I don’t want him to waste away over this.”

“The faster we get them back together, the better.”

* * *

Nishinoya and Yamaguchi came with him as Suga pulled the sled and thanks to Daichi’s directions they soon they found the house and from the outside, they could hear Hinata’s cries, making them exchange sad looks.

After knocking on the door and calling out who they were, they were permitted in and Hinata rushed to them in tears as Suga embraced him tightly with Noya and Tadashi joining them.

They managed to calm him down and got him to eat something.

After reading the letter Hinata gave him, Sugawara sighed, “Shoyou… you know it was all for you…”

“I know that! But that idiot should have told me personally then I could have told him that yes I had dreams of traveling but I want to be with him more! Being apart like this is… is…” the tears welled up again and he covered his face.

Suga shushed and rubbed his back, “I’ll tell him that. Then I’m sure he’ll change his mind, I’m sure of it.”

Unfortunately it was at that point that the weather started picking up and a blizzard set in.

Noya commented while looking out the window, “Uh-oh, I don’t think we’ll be getting back anytime soon.”

Suga looked out and frowned, he was right, the snow kept piling up and since they were on the side of a mountain, the snow would be rushing down blocking the roads. They were stuck.

To make matters worse since it was the middle of winter, the snow won’t melt till the spring thaw, leaving the three stranded until then.

Hinata realized the situation and almost cried again, thinking he won’t see Tobio for a long time now.

Suga and Noya worried too about their beloveds and how worried they’ll be for not being able to come home.

Tadashi fret about Kei as well but he knew his childhood friend would want him to make the best of the situation and offered his services to Shoyou’s mother and Suga and Noya did the same, knowing they would need to repay the kindly woman that had insisted they stay for the rest of winter.

* * *

Daichi and Asahi were upset at the border guard’s report of all the mountain roads being snowed-in. And even though he didn’t show it, Tsukishima was also disturbed by the news but he knows he can count on Tadashi to pull through this.

Takeda was worried. Without a way to bring them and Hinata back, the advisor was sure the king would only get worse and worse. As he had suspected, his love for the ginger was so undeniably strong that being parted from him has caused him to be a shell of his former self.

Tobio still performed his duties but he had dead-like eyes and he has yet to make a single command or order today. It really was worrisome.

Then when he was given the report, he lowly responded, “It’s better this way…”

“Your Majesty…”

“He can’t come back. He… deserves better than me…” he hung his head.

Takeda was heartbroken at the sight.

_This is bad… Something has to be done…_

He noticed then out of the corner of his eye that one of Oikawa’s spies was leaving, no doubt he heard and witnessed the whole thing.

_Or else we’re in for a terrible plot…_


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter but it helps move the plot along.

Oikawa was beside himself. He never thought in a million years that Tobio-chan of all people would ever let the shorty go like that and learning how this affected his cousin, it was baffling.

Iwaizumi was equally as shocked by the whole thing. He looked to his husband, “I really hope you’re not thinking of using this to your advantage. That would make you even more shitty than before.”

Tooru sighed and admitted, “It would be like fighting a toothless tiger. There would be no point.”

“Then… what are you planning?”

“Honestly? Nothing.”

Hajime rose his brow, “Seriously?”

He caressed his husband’s cheek, “Dearest, you have such little faith in me, it’s disturbing. There is no honor to fighting an opponent that has no will to fight back.”

“Okay… it’s just surprising that you would back off like that so easily.”

“Tobio-chan is the one that changed the game without realizing it. It’s annoying but what can you do?”

He nodded, “His love for the boy was stronger than we originally thought.”

“Perhaps we should pay him a visit to see how he’s doing for ourselves…” he got up from his throne and ordered for the royal sleigh to be ready for their departure.

* * *

Tobio was barely staying alive at this point. He ate and slept like he had to but that was about it. He fell into depression and did nothing to make it go away.

Oikawa was appalled by the sight of his cousin’s dark circles under his eyes and pale skin. And his eyes looked like he was in another world as if he didn’t even realize his cousin was here right in front of him, it disgusted Tooru.

“Are you kidding me?!” he yelled, “Are you really going to let some shorty get to you like this?!”

Takeda frowned at the king’s lack of reaction.

“You are such an idiot! Don’t you think if your beloved chibi was here, he would be upset at the state you’re in?! You’re a king! Act like it!”

Kageyama made a few blinks like he was awaking up for the first time and slowly said, “Shoyou… would be disappointed… wouldn’t he?”

“Yes, you bastard! He would be disappointed in you! Look, even if he is gone, you still have to be king!” it left a bitter taste in his mouth but he had to get his point across to get it through his stupid cousin’s thick head.

Kageyama’s eyes widen and his head raised up to them, he inquired in confusion, “Tooru? When did you get here?”

Takeda and Iwaizumi had to stifle their laughter while Oikawa blanched.

“You moron! I’ve been here the whole damn time!”

Tobio looked to Takeda who nodded in confirmation.

Oikawa pointed in accusation, “Don’t let your guard down for second, cousin. I still want to defeat you and conquer your kingdom for myself but I refuse to do that if you’re just going to mope on me! I may not like kicking puppies while they’re down but Wakatoshi might think otherwise, get it?”

Tobio bristled to Tooru’s puppy comment, how dare he compare him to that!

Takeda gapped at seeing the fire burn in his king’s eyes, he was back to his old self!

Seeing the reaction, Oikawa smugly smiled, “That’s better. Now that’s settled, I’m going back to my kingdom and start plotting your demise again.” turning to go.

Kageyama scowled as they took their leave.

_I can’t let him or Ushijima best me like this! I won’t let them have Karasuro! Shoyou would never forgive me if I let that happen! My love, I swear to you I will never give up the fight for your sake! For I will be the king you want me to be!_

With that new resolve in mind he commanded Takeda to move on to the next order of business much to the advisor’s joy.

Tobio of course was still upset over Shoyou’s absence but the work helped distracted him from his grief but at night he would weep for his love before falling sleep and would escape into his dreams of happier times with them being together…

* * *

The days went on, and Hinata started to feel sick. He began throwing up every morning and his family and friends thought he had caught a bug but he didn’t have a fever and he was fine otherwise even if a little tired but that was expected given the emotional turmoil he’s been going through.

Suga was helping Hinata-san with the laundry while Tadashi was taking care of Shoyou and Noya was playing with Natsu.

She commented, “It’s strange… but the way Shoyou keeps throwing up it’s almost like he has morning sickness…” she tittered but Suga stiffen at the suggestion and slowly looked at the boy and realized there was a glow to him.

He excused himself and went to Hinata, saying, “Shoyou… I hate to ask this since I believe you would never intentionally take the potion without knowing what it did.”

“Uh? What do you mean?”

“On the day I broke my foot, Yuu had with him a potion that he was going to use to get pregnant.”

Shoyou and Tadashi gasped.

“I stopped him in time but when I tripped I lost the bottle and if I’m right… you found it, didn’t you?”

Yamaguchi quickly inquired, “Was it a purple bottle?”

Suga rose his brow, “It was…”

“Oh…” he gulped, “um, I found the bottle in my room thinking it was a gift from Kei and I thought it was wine but then I did give it to Shoyou since I thought it would help with his nerves… and well…” he let him fill in the blanks.

Suga rubbed his temple, so it was string of unfortunate circumstances that had lead to this moment.

Shoyou voiced in concern, “Wait I don’t understand. What’s going on here?”

Sugawara sighed and wrapped his arm around him, “Shoyou… you’re pregnant.”

The ginger’s eyes widen in shock, “What…?”

“It’s true, you took the potion without realizing it and well I assume you have…” carefully choosing his words in front of Natsu, “ _bonded_ with his majesty, right?”

Shoyou blushed and nodded.

Suga could see the expression on Noya’s face that was of pure horror and scrambled to the boy, “Oh my gods, Shoyou! It’s all my fault! I’m so sorry!” he blubbered out and embraced him.

“It’s okay, Yuu. I mean… it’s shocking but how could we have known!”

Tadashi shouted out, “Yeah! And it’s my fault too that Shoyou ended up like this!”

Natsu piped up, “Ended up like what?”

The four could see the confused looks of the Hinatas and Suga bowed, “Please let me offer my profoundest apologies of what happened to your son.” as he proceeded to explain about the potions in the castle and how one can make a male pregnant.

Naturally Hinata-san was shocked while Natsu was thrilled by the fact she was going to be an aunt.

Shoyou of course was still shocked by the revelation, realizing not only was he carrying his own child but the king’s too! Which made their baby the heir to the Karasuro throne!

Suga read his mind and kneeled down, “As of this moment it is my sworn duty to protect you and your child.”

Nishinoya and Yamaguchi followed his lead.


	10. Chapter 10

By the time the spring thaw came, Hinata had become as big as a melon. They were getting ready to go back to the castle as Sugawara explained that the king will not be able to turn him away if he is carrying Karasuno’s heir.

Hinata chuckled, “I’m more worried of how doting he will be once he finds out.” lovingly rubbing his stomach.

Suga laughed, “Yes, I believe you’re right.” making their way to Tadashi and Noya who had managed to replace the sled’s metal bars with wheels making it into a wagon.

Shoyou hugged and said goodbye to his mother and sister while Suga promised they would be sent for once the baby was born.

They got into the wagon and were on their way.

When they got to the castle gates, the four exchanged a smirk and Sugawara bellowed with his cupped hands, “DAICHI! OPEN THE GATES! IT’S US!”

The captain quickly arrived on at the top and with a wide smile, he shouted back, “WELCOME HOME!” but then saw Hinata and made a sad look, “Oh… but we can’t…”

Suga was quick to reply, “HINATA IS CARRYING THE KING’S CHILD, SO YOU MUST LET HIM IN!”

“WHAT?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!”

“DEAD SERIOUS! NOW LET US IN!”

Daichi did as he said as the gates open wide and they went straight in.

* * *

Takeda meet them in the throne room but Kageyama wasn’t there leaving Hinata confused as the advisor sighed sadly, “If only you had arrived a week earlier…”

Hinata whimpered, “WHY?! Why isn’t he here?!”

“He’s visiting his sister across the sea. We thought it would be a good idea for him to rest and take his mind off things. Of course had we’d known about the baby sooner he never would have left… I’m so sorry…” meaning it too.

Suga sighed as well and embraced the expecting boy, “Oh Shoyou… I feel so bad for you… the gods truly have been unkind to you…”

He cried, “But I have done nothing wrong!”

“I know… I know… so they must be testing you, but for what reason I don’t know.”

Hinata turned back to Takeda, “Is there a way to reach him?”

“I wish we could, but they’ll be traveling around, so he won’t be back until the end of summer so I’m afraid it’ll be impossible to send a message. Again, I’m really sorry this happen…”

Suga pointed, “Well you certainly can’t kick him out, not when he’s carrying the next king or queen to Karasuro.”

“Of course not, he has to remain here till either his majesty returns or the baby is born.”

“Takeda,” Shoyou had a determined look, “While we’re waiting, I would like to learn everything there is to be a consort.”

The advisor’s eyes widen before beaming, “Absolutely, I would be honored.” he bowed.

Hinata smiled back.

* * *

Hinata started his training and during that time he was assigned a personal maid name Yachi Hitoka to help him with the pregnancy. He also was given a royal suite making him neighbors with Lady Kiyoko, Lord Tanaka, and Lord Azumane and they became fast friends.

He took Takeda-sensei’s lessons to heart even though it was hard to pay attention sometimes but he knew had to do this for the sake of his future with Tobio and their family.

During their time separated, Shoyou had come to realize he felt he belonged in the castle after all and sure he still wanted to be a fencer like the Tiny Giant but he had a greater purpose to fulfill right now.

In his free time he would learn to knit and crochet from Kiyoko and Asahi since he wanted special clothes for the baby. He also learned this is what they normally do on a regular basis to give their parents the impression they were courting.

As Kiyoko explained, they enjoyed each other’s company but it’s not enough for them to want to get married over it.

As time went on, Yachi became his closet companion during the pregnancy as she made sure he stuck to his diet and comforted him during his morning sickness, gave him foot rubs for his swollen feet, and massages for his sore back. But more than that she was a good friend and Shoyou was grateful to have her.

According to the royal physician, the baby was growing exceptionally well however there was a risk given Hinata’s short stature, if the baby grows too big before the birth, both parent and child could lose their life.

Both Takeda and Suga worried over this news, fearing the king might lose his mate and child if the growth becomes too much. The physician promised they would keep a close eye on the situation and will do everything in their power to make both sure parent and child will live bringing some relief to the advisor and noble.

Nishinoya and Yamaguchi would visit Shoyou along with Tsukishima and the other academy students and he in turn would visit them at the gym, even though he couldn’t join them during sessions.

Finally, the end of summer was approaching and fall was around the corner.

Shoyou was counting down the days until his beloved Tobio can return and by now he had finished eight months and was currently starting the ninth month meaning the baby will arrive soon.

He put off thinking of names until Tobio would come back so they could do it together.

Then one afternoon, Yachi was serving him lunch while they were conversing when suddenly a cry echoed throughout the castle.

“WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!”

Making the both of them freeze.

* * *

Daichi was rushing and shouting orders to the rest of the guards as they ran out then he came across Koushi, telling him, “We’re under siege! Stay here in the castle until it’s safe!” and was about to go on until his love grabbed him by the arm and kissed him.

“You come back, you hear me?”

Daichi just smiled and returned the kiss before going.

The captain then was joined by Noya with sword at the ready but his thoughts were plaguing him of what Asahi told him just moments before after the alarm sounded off.

_“Don’t go out there! It’s too risky!”_

_“I have to Asahi, it’s my duty as a knight to-“ he was cut off by the tall man’s lips and saw the tears in his eyes making Noya’s heart beat faster._

_“I just… don’t want to lose you like this…”_

_Yuu’s own tears welled up before he got out of his love’s grip and ran out of the room before Asahi could stop him._

The two knights ran to the top of the castle gates that was under siege by men in black and cannons were being shot while the attackers tried to scale the castle walls and some got over making them engage in combat.

* * *

Just off the coast of Karasuro bells could be heard in the distance as the royal yacht was about to enter the harbor when a ship hailed them and the harbor master aboard it told them, “The castle is being currently under attack!”

“WHAT?!” Kageyama shouted angrily.

“Your Majesty must stay here until it’s over!”

“And let my people and staff suffer?!”

“They haven’t breeched it yet, the guards are holding their ground!”

“Still I need to be there to defend my home!” he yelled and turned to the helmsman, “Keep going! I will not let Karasuro fall!”

The sailor stuttered, “Y-yes, Y-your M-majesty as you wish!” steering for port while the harbor master protested and pleaded to change his mind but of course he wouldn’t listen.

* * *

Hinata and Yachi kept close together and were joined by Tanaka, Kiyoko, and Asahi into the room and could hear the sounds of fighting and battle cries outside the window which they kept away from.

Shoyou prayed that would be over soon but then he suddenly felt pain from his stomach that grew and grew to the point he clutched his swollen belly and started breathing heavily which Yachi noticed right away.

“Shoyou…” she gasped.

Tanaka asked, “What? What is it?”

“He’s… he’s in labor!”

“WHAT?!” the men shouted.

Kiyoko however remained calm and quickly held Hinata’s shoulders and told them, “Asahi get Koushi, Ryuu get the doctor, go!”

Without hesitation they ran out of the room as Hinata continued with his labored breathing and tears began to well.

He uttered out, “No baby, no… not when Daddy isn’t here yet… He needs to see you first…”

Yachi held him close in her arms hoping it would offer some comfort.

Suga arrived in seconds with Asahi as he saw the situation and ordered, “Let’s get him to the king’s chambers, it’s safer and larger there to have the birth.”

The girls didn’t waste a second as they helped Hinata get to Suga and together all four of them got him to the chamber.

Koushi helped the boy get out of his clothes and had him lay underneath the covers.

The pain become more intense and he began to cry out.

Asahi squirmed at the sound while Yachi wiped a cloth over the ginger’s forehead.

Tanaka looked pale at seeing Hinata’s painful condition having Kiyoko squeeze his hand to reassure him that everything will be okay.

Sugawara saw the state of his friends, telling them, “You two should leave and watch the door, be the last line of defense in case something goes wrong outside.”

The men agreed and quickly left, grateful for the excuse.

Suga bowed to the girls, “Never will I underestimate a woman’s tolerance for pain, especially if it means having to prepare for this moment.”

Kiyoko pffted, “It’s terrible but we’re willing to deal with it, if it means having the gift of life…” she smiled.

Hinata let out another cry putting all their attention back on him.

Thankfully, the doctor was getting ready so it won’t be long now.

* * *

Tobio had docked in the harbor and could see smoke coming from the direction of the castle making him think, _Thank goodness Shoyou isn’t there… My orders were still in affect when I left so he should be with his family during this time._

He got off the ship while telling his sister that was still on board, “Stay here.”

She nodded, “I will, but Tobio please be careful.”

He nodded back and putting his cloak hood on and he headed straight for the castle.

* * *

Hinata sweated and cried while Suga held his hand while the boy wept, “Tobio… Tobio… where are you…? Please hurry…”

On the side, Takeda informed Koushi, “The defenses are holding up, Keishin is using his magic to strengthen the gates so they can’t get in with the cannons, and the sentries are fighting any climbers that get over the walls. And…” he leaned in to whisper in his ear, “The harbor master send a messenger pigeon just moments ago, the king has return…”

Suga’s eyes widen.

Takeda added, “I will go after him, you take care of young Shoyou, he needs you.”

Suga did not protest as the older man left.

* * *

Naturally being the ruler of Karasuro had its perks and knowing all the secrets the kingdom had to offer was one of them, problem was there were also downsides to this. Like now, Tobio was in the catacombs and it smelled so horrible that he had to cover his nose and mouth from puking.

As a royal he was of course used to a better life and smells, so no doubt about it if his beloved Shoyou were here he would have an easy time with this.

He had memorized the entire map since he was a boy so he knew where he was going to get to the castle cellar.

 _From there I will join the battle and we will stop these invaders and find out who they are and who sent them…_ he glowered.

He kept going until he reached the passageway he was looking for and found the trapdoor above him. He slowly opened it up and true to form he was in the castle’s wine cellar.

“Your Majesty!” he heard Takeda shouting and saw him coming to him, “Oh thank goodness, you did use the catacombs! I was hoping you would!”

As he was getting out, he said, “Takeda, good timing I need to-“

“Hinata Shoyou is about to give birth!”

Kageyama froze and blinked in bewilderment, not believing what he just heard.

Takeda continued on, “It’s a long story but the child is yours. He’s currently in your chambers and he has been wanting you nonstop since the labor started, so please Your Majesty, please hurry and go to him before it’s too late!”

Tobio blinked some more before a determined look plastered on his face and he broke into a sprint, passing Takeda and headed straight upstairs.


	11. Chapter 11

The doctor expressed, “I am ready to begin the procedure. I gave him herbs to numb the pain when I’ll remove the child from his abdomen.”

Shoyou shook his sweaty head, pleading, “No please… not until he’s here…”

Suga made a sad look, tightening his grip on the boy’s hand, “Shoyou, you need to do this now or else you risk losing your child and your life. I know you wanted him here but it can’t be done… I’m sorry.”

Hinata cried again from the pain and longing. He shouted, “TOBIO!”

And then to everyone’s shock a cry replied, “SHOYOU!”

Hearing his voice, Shoyou smiled despite the pain.

Tobio then ran right into the room, “I’m here! I’m here, Shoyou!” going right to his bedside, hugging his upper body and stroked his hair.

Hinata uttered, “Oh Tobio, I was hoping you would come, I was so scared that you wouldn’t see our baby’s birth…”

While the ginger was distracted, Suga gave the doctor the go ahead to start the procedure.

Tobio whispered, “But how is this possible? How can you have a child without the potion?”

“But I did take it. I just didn’t realize it at the time.”

“Wha- how?”

“Well you see-“ he yelped and started breathing heavily again, not being able to finish.

Tobio started to fret and Suga had to reassure him that the birth was underway. The king then saw the bloody cloths on the side from the doctor and once again worried.

Shoyou let out a giant scream then stopped at the sound of an infant crying out making both parents shocked and saw in the doctor’s arms a baby wrapped in a towel.

He proclaimed, “My congratulations, Your Majesty, it’s a girl.” gently carrying her over to them.

Tobio was in absolute awe, he could see their child had fuzzy ginger hair like Shoyou.

The baby was placed in Hinata’s arms with nothing but love shining in his eyes.

Suga, Kiyoko, and Yachi looked on with pride and near tears of joy.

Koushi mentioned, “You did well Shoyou.”

Tobio smiled and kissed his temple, “Yes, very well, you did a great job pulling through.”

His love made a tired smile, “I knew in my heart you would be back in time…”

The baby then squirmed and cooed and she slowly opened her eyes.

Shoyou gasped, “Tobio look, she has your eyes… your beautiful eyes…”

Tobio was awestruck by the sight, it made the birth all the more real to him. This was truly their child. Shoyou’s hair and his eyes, it was a beautiful combination of the two of them.

Yachi questioned, “Have you thought of a name?”

Shoyou shook his head, “I wanted to decide with Tobio.”

The king smiled and kissed his cheek, “Thank you my love. I do have one idea upon seeing her, what do you think about Akemi?”

Shoyou smiled back, “Beauty of dawn… I love it, it’s perfect for her.” his eyes began to droop.

Tobio saw this and gently took Akemi in his arms and soothed his beloved, “Rest my love. You’ve earned it after bringing our daughter to the world.”

Hinata slightly nodded and rested against the pillows to fall asleep.

Tobio kissed him on the lips then looked back to his daughter with a soft smile before turning to Suga with a concern frown, “How did this happen?”

Koushi sighed, “It’s complicated but I assure you it was a complete accident.” and quickly explained the events that transpired to Hinata becoming pregnant.

Kageyama’s eyes and mouth widen at the explanation.

Suga pointed, “The more I think about it, it may have been fate that had a hand in this. That the gods are telling us that you two were meant to be and that the child you’re holding now is proof of that.”

Tobio was in disbelief but when looking down at his baby, his heart swelled and the things Sugawara said made sense. He had planned to never see Shoyou again and yet here they were. Then his eyes widen in realization, Shoyou was pregnant all this time since their time apart and sudden guilt came over him.

But before he could think on it further, the sounds of distant cannon fire reminded him that they were in the middle of an attack and he quickly handed Akemi to Yachi as he told Suga, “I need to join the battle, take care of Shoyou and Akemi in the meantime till I get back.” he ran out of the room as Akemi cried.

* * *

Nishinoya panted and was having tough time holding his ground as he clashed with his opponent. Daichi was nearby having the same trouble. But then a third party came on to the scene making Noya gasp, “Your Majesty!”

Kageyama help fought off the invaders as he made his way to him.

Together they were able to hold back the climbers and Ennoshita, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi were able to join them after defeating their own opponents.

Kageyama questioned to Daichi, “How long has this been going on?”

“Since noon, Your Majesty but we are grateful you came back in time.”

“Indeed, between Karasuro being invaded and Shoyou giving birth to our daughter, I arrived just in time.” he said before clashing swords with a man in black.

Yuu and Tadashi gasped in joy, “ _Shoyou had the baby?!_ ”

“That’s right.” he smiled as he defeated his opponent and throwing him over.

Daichi quickly bowed, “My congratulations, Your Majesty.” before fighting off another intruder.

Tsukki smirked and asked, “Sure you’re ready to be a father?” kicking off a climber.

The king replied, “It was a shock at first but I’m coming to terms with it. Especially after seeing her face…” a fiery aura surrounded him which scared some of the climbers to go back down, “I swear I will protect her from any that dare harm her!” he growled.

Tsukki chuckled, “You are so a Dad already.” fighting off another climber.

Noya exclaimed, “They just keep coming! Is there no end to their numbers?!”

Then without meaning to, Tadashi ran his sword through the enemy making him scream in horror and began to fret but then to his surprise he saw no blood was coming out… instead the foe went limp and broke apart like a toy. It… it wasn’t real… with a gasp, he shouted, “Sire! They’re fake! They’re just dolls!”

“SAY WHAT?!” Daichi, Noya, and Ennoshita shouted.

Kei just said, “Good, that means I can do this!” he beheaded the doll climber and did the same to the rest that followed making his comrades but the king uneasy.

Tobio followed the noble’s example and started stabbing dolls, stopping them in their tracks. He was holding back before as he rather not have spilled blood on his hands and conscience but since these were living dummies it was easier to fight now.

Finally the invaders’ numbers began to dwindle and when the cannon fire stopped, the enemy began to retreat causing all the sentries and fencers to celebrate.

Tobio sighed in relief, his kingdom was safe, his castle was safe, and his family and friends were safe… However, he knew this wasn’t the end of it, not by a long shot…

He told Daichi as such, “These invaders or whatever they are will try again. We must not let our guard down yet.”

The captain nodded, “I agree. This was but a short victory.”

Noya complained, “Aw man! You mean we’ll have to fight those creepy things again?!”

Kei gave a dark grimace “Most likely, yes.”

“Aw crap!”

Tadashi quickly changed the subject, “Your Majesty, may we see Shoyou and the new princess?” making Yuu’s eyes lit up.

“Oh yes! Can we?!”

“You may, but he’s resting right now so please don’t disturb him and as for Akemi please keep a fair distance from her.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” they both bowed and rushed on.

Tsukki sighed and bowed as well, “I’m curious myself on what the child looks like so I’ll take my leave as well.” doing just that.

Tobio was about to face the other guards when Daichi pointed between himself and Ennosita offering, “We can handle things here, Your Majesty, I know you want to be with your family right now.” he smiled.

Tobio smiled back then remembered, “Oh! My sister is still on the royal ship. Please have an escort fetch her and the same goes to Shoyou’s family.”

He bowed again, “It shall be done, my king.”

With that satisfying him, Tobio almost ran back inside the castle.

* * *

Naturally Akemi’s grandmother and aunts instantly loved her when first seeing her. Natsu wanted to congratulate her brother but her mother and Tobio told her he needed rest to heal from the delivery and luckily Yachi and Kiyoko distracted her by playing with her.

Nishinoya and Yamaguchi were gushing over the baby until the king beckoned them along with Suga.

They went into the hallway as Kageyama expressed, “Sugawara has told me how Shoyou got pregnant and how you were unintentionally involved.”

Both gulped and sweat and were about to apologize when the king smiled and continued, “I know it was an accident and you were able to amend for your mistakes by staying by his side when I couldn’t be. You took care of him and for that I would like to reward you both by granting any wish you desire.”

They gawked at their king.

Noya uttered in wonder, “Any wish?”

He nodded.

“Then…” Yuu made a determined look and bowed low, “Please Your Majesty with your blessing I would like to marry Lord Azumane Asahi!”

Suga stifle his chuckles, somehow he knew that’s what he would wish for.

Tobio just kept smiling and replied, “I will grant your request as long as Lord Azumane agrees to it.”

Suga stated, “He will, my king, I know he will.”

Tobio said, “Very well, I will see to the wedding arrangements tomorrow.” then turned to Tadashi, “And you? What is your wish?”

“Well… you see like Yuu, I do have someone I want to marry but I don’t know if he loves me the way I love him, so… if possible Your Majesty I would like to take him away for about a week to see if anything changes between us.”

“Hmm, I’ll do you one better, you may use my ship to go to one of my private islands and stay there for three weeks.”

Tadashi gasped, “Your Majesty! That’s far too generous of you!”

Koushi nearly coughed, “It really is.”

Tobio just replied, “I am in a giving mood. I get the love of my life back and a daughter all in the same day that I want others to feel that same happiness.”

Suga beamed at that answer, “That certainly makes sense.”

Both Noya and Yamaguchi thanked their king over and over again before he had to dismiss them to make them stop.

When they were gone, Suga questioned, “Still worry about what happen with those invaders?”

“Yes. And there’s a lot to prepare for, as we are at the edge of war…” he scowl darkly, “And I know who our opponent is…”


	12. Chapter 12

“Ushijima?! Are you sure, Your Majesty?!” Takeda questioned with worry.

“Positive.” he proclaimed in the council room.

Captain Sawamura asked, “How did you know?”

“Those living dolls. I can recall in our youth that Wakatoshi would look up anything on the dark arts and I’m sure you remember that magical contest Ukai took part in two years ago with other court magicians?”

Keishin nodded, “I remember, I thought it seemed strange that Shiratorizawa kept winning challenges like that when I know the other mages were well-matched in the contest.”

Takeda argued, “You were just as good if not better.”

Keishin slightly blushed, “That’s… kind of you to say, Ittetsu but I know better.”

While they squabbled about Ukai’s magical skills being good or bad, everyone else in the room made knowing looks at them.

Suga whispered to Daichi, “About time they moved to the next stage in their relationship.” making his beloved chuckle.

Next to them, Nishinoya and Asahi were holding hands beneath the table and smiled at each other lovingly, so happy for the king’s blessing making Asahi’s parents back off on trying to make him court with Lady Kiyoko and were currently here to discuss the wedding after the king finishes the current business.

Tobio cleared his throat making the two men stop, realizing what they did with flushing cheeks and apologized.

The king addressed his captain, “Sir Sawamura, I leave it to you to begin the preparations for retaliation. I don’t want to sit around and wait for them to strike again.”

Sugawara gestured, “But Your Majesty, we don’t know for sure if it was Shiratorizawa that attacked, without proof we cannot fight back.”

Takeda nodded, “He’s right, as likely as it is that Ushijima was the one behind this, without proof to back it up, we cannot do anything.”

The king grunted in frustration, he hated it but they were right.

Koushi sighed, “Believe me, sire, you have every right to feel this way, our kingdom was violated for no reason and with you having a child now it makes the risk that much higher.”

“Exactly, it’s not just about me anymore. Akemi is my heir and that makes her a target too for Ushijima to get his hands on.” he snarled, “But I’ll die first before I let that happen.”

Suga mentioned, “Well let’s make sure we prevent that first before it comes to that, after all, Shoyou would die too before anything happens to her.”

Daichi asks, “How is he by way? I heard he had a rough delivery.”

Kageyama was quick to answer, “He’s still resting and he has to stay on bed rest to heal since he had to have stitches on his stomach. I made myself a promise then that we won’t have any more kids for awhile.”

Suga nodded, “Wise decision, because during his pregnancy the doctor said there was a risk given Hinata’s short stature that if the baby had grown too big before the birth, both him and Akemi could have lost their lives.”

Tobio covered his mouth in shock.

The noble quickly added, “But as you have witnessed, that didn’t happen! Maybe if he had twins it would be cause for concern but he was able to hold his own throughout the experience.”

The king frowned, “I still should have been here to take care of him… I wasn’t here when he needed me the most…”

Noya voiced, “But you were here for the birth and that’s all Shoyou wanted. Yes he told me missed you but like I said all he wanted was your return to see your child.”

He shook his head with a sad smile, “That dumbass…”

Takeda asked, “Shall we move on to next order of business?”

Kageyama nodded, “Let’s.” turning to Asahi and Noya to begin the wedding plans.

* * *

When the meeting had adjourned, Tobio headed straight to his chambers where he saw a sight that warmed his heart.

Shoyou was feeding their daughter her bottle full of milk they got from a wet nurse in his bed, the ginger was still shirtless making his appearance somewhat exotic in the king’s eyes.

Hinata saw him with tired eyes and uttered softly, “Hey you.”

Tobio slowly made his way to them and sat at the edge of the bed, “How are my two favorite people in the world?”

“Just fine.” feeling Tobio’s kiss on his temple.

Then Yachi came in the room, making a timid curtsy to the king before addressing them, “I’ve prepared a bath for Princess Akemi, Your Majesty, shall I wait a bit longer before taking her there?”

Shoyou replied, “It’s fine, Yachi, she’s just about done with her bottle, so she can go now.”

Tobio motioned, “Actually I have a better idea,” asking the maid while pointing to his adjoining bathroom, “can you go prepare the bath for me? That way Akemi and I can take it together.”

Hearing that made Hinata want to gush as well as Yachi, thinking it was so cute that tough King Kageyama Tobio would want to take a bath with his infant daughter.

She curtsied again, “At once, Your Majesty!” and swiftly left to do her duty.

Hinata had a smirk on his face while Kageyama rolled his eyes.

“I want to spend time with our daughter since you got to have her for nine months, boke.”

“Well yeah but she wasn’t born yet! And I didn’t know if she would be a girl!” then he yelped and touched his stomach in pain.

“Don’t overexert yourself! You know you’re still healing.” saying with concern in his eyes while taking Akemi in his arms.

Hinata hissed, “Yeah, I know…”

“Just rest, I’ll take care of our daughter for the rest of afternoon.”

The ginger smiled, “I knew you would be a doting father.” and put the covers over his chest to fall asleep.

* * *

Tobio held Akemi close to his chest in the warm bubbly water but she was squirming and splashed around while squealing joyfully making him sigh.

“You’re just like your mother. He’s gets excited easily too.” he smiled before kissing her head. Then gently he put shampoo in her hair and rinsed it right after.

Finally when they were both cleaned, he carried Akemi out and grabbed a towel to cover her and then carefully held her with one arm as he placed a towel around his waist and they went back into the chambers.

Yachi took the princess to get her dressed and Tobio went to his wardrobe get dress too but quickly pecked a sleeping Shoyou’s cheek before doing that.

The maid came back with the baby and Tobio sat in a rocking chair as he was given his child and gently rocked them.

He uttered out, “I will never give this up.”

* * *

Oikawa blinked in bewilderment and slowly told Kindaichi, “Say that again.”

Kindaichi was on his knees and hanging his head as he said, “Hinata Shoyou has given birth to a healthy baby girl, the next queen of Karasuro.”

Oikawa and Iwaizumi eyed each other in disbelief.

The king uttered, “He was pregnant with their child… all that time…”

“Honestly I was shocked by how much has changed since you told me to stop spying while Kageyama was gone. When I learned of the baby’s birth I knew that all your efforts have gone to waste.”

Tooru sighed, “It does seem that way doesn’t it? With there being a child now, I can’t exactly plan to conquer Karasuro.” then he eyed his husband with a smirk, “But maybe… if we have a child of our own and let them court the young princess… then we be closer to taking Karasuro for ourselves…”

Hajime sternly replied, “ _No._ ”

“But darling! It’s the perfect plan!”

“Using our child like a pawn is something I refuse to let happen.” He turned away and walked away in anger.

* * *

“I want you two to plan Akemi’s christening.” Tobio told Lady Kiyoko and Lord Tanaka in the throne room.

“Us, Your Majesty?” Ryuu questioned in disbelief.

“Yes, normally this would be the consort’s job but Shoyou’s still on bed rest and I believe you two will do a good job. So I’m counting on you.”

Kiyoko curtsied, “It shall be done, my king.”

Tanaka bowed, “We won’t let you down!” feeling so happy to get a chance to get closer to Kiyoko now that Asahi is to be wed to Nishinoya.

What the lord and lady didn’t know is that Hinata was the one that suggested they be paired up for the event knowing firsthand of their pining for each other. Hopefully this would give them the chance they need to get married.

When they were dismissed, they began to discuss the preparations needed for the princess’s christening.


End file.
